


Kingdom Hearts III Re:Write

by nadziejastar



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Fix-It, Gen, Includes flashbacks, Multi, Will focus on rewriting the main story rather than the Disney worlds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:09:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 40,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27594628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nadziejastar/pseuds/nadziejastar
Summary: A retelling of KH3 that focuses more on character development and giving closure to the themes of the Dark Seeker Saga, rather than sequel baiting.After failing to acquire the power of waking, Sora travels throughout the worlds looking for the Key to Return Hearts. Throughout the story, each of the seven guardians of light will have to face their fears and use the power of waking on someone they love.
Relationships: Hayner & Olette & Pence & Roxas (Kingdom Hearts), Isa & Lea (Kingdom Hearts), Kairi & Riku (Kingdom Hearts), Kairi & Terra (Kingdom Hearts), Mickey Mouse & Riku (Kingdom Hearts), Riku & Terra (Kingdom Hearts), Sora & Ventus (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	1. Kingdom Hearts II.9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Picks up where KH3D left off. After the mark of mastery exam, Sora learns that Ventus’s heart is inside of him. Meanwhile, Master Xehanort plans to make Vanitas the thirteenth vessel.

A trio of black-cloaked figures stood in the Badlands.

Xigbar addressed Master Xehanort. "Without the kid, we're still down a thirteenth vessel, and as for the other twelve, only three of us are here right now. Are you absolutely sure the others made it back to their respective times?"

Master Xehanort glanced over at Saïx, who simply stood there like a mindless puppet.

The three of them disappeared, then reappeared in new spots atop the tall rock formations. Transparent phantoms appeared in the shapes of numbers XI and XII. Gradually, transparent figures of all the other members appeared on their respective rocks, as well.

"Marluxia and Larxene are both here in this time," Master Xehanort explained, "attempting to locate the New Seven Hearts. Luxord is also somewhere about in this age. He is chasing rumors of a being who can exist without a heart. Backup, in case our current plans fall through."

"Speaking of our current plans, the ones who turned human are you, me, and him," Xigbar said as he looked over at Saïx. "That's three. And the ones travelling from the past are Luxord, Marluxia, Larxene, Demyx, Ansem, Xemnas, Riku Replica, and your younger self. The total comes to eleven."

**_"But Sora and another on your list belong to me now."_ **

"So, what's the deal with Terra? He's a vessel, right?"

Master Xehanort flashed a conniving smirk. "My incarnations from past times, vessels into which I transferred my heart, my essence, were destroyed. Thus, I was restored to what you see now. Ansem and Xemnas originated from Terra, or rather his young form—and it too was restored. However, my heart has returned to me, while his is yet lost. I decided to fill this hollow vessel with my heart—indeed, the very same heart that previously resided in the young Terra."

Terra's white-haired figure showed up on one of the rocks.

"So that makes twelve," Xigbar concluded. "Then who do we get to replace the kid?"

"The plan for the last vessel is a heart that is connected to Sora's."

"Connected to Sora?" Xigbar was a bit surprised. "Anyone in mind?"

"Ventus," the old man answered confidently.

" _Him_?" Xigbar still couldn't bring himself to say the name. "As if. You've been lookin' for him for ages. What makes you think you're gonna find him now?"

"Ah, but you are only thinking of one half of Ventus, you see."

"Sooo. You mean Vanitas, then."

"He should prove more than adequate for our needs."

"But he disappeared after the battle, right? He doesn't exist anymore. Are you planning to bring him back from the past, too?"

**_"In the end, every heart returns to the darkness whence it came."_ **

**_"Darkness is a beginning, you see, not an end. At birth, every one of us emerges from darkness into a world of light, do we not?"_ **

Master Xehanort shook his head. "Vanitas was born from the void."

Xigbar folded his arms and glanced over at Saïx. His heart was also in the void, along with Terra's. "So, you're saying he can return from there?"

"Demyx has discovered a world rich in negative emotions, in which it may be possible for him to be reconstructed."

"I see. So then, that's all our vessels?"

"No. Although his physical form can be reconstructed, Vanitas's _heart_ is still not complete without Ventus's. Only if Ventus awakens will we have our thirteenth vessel."

"Then our victory depends on _their_ success. That's how it is, huh?"

Master Xehanort chose not to respond directly to the question. "While the others are occupied, you must fulfill your duty. Help Sora find the hearts joined to his."

With his orders, Xigbar promptly left via a dark portal.

The phantoms of the other members disappeared as well, leaving only Master Xehanort with an unresponsive Saïx.

The elderly man gazed out at the sun. "May your heart be your guiding key."

* * *

Riku still couldn't believe it was real. "Really? I'm a Keyblade Master?" he quietly asked, looking over to Sora.

Sora gave him an enthusiastic nod.

"Congratulations, Riku!" Mickey walked up to him and held out a hand.

"Thank you, Mickey." Riku knelt down and clasped hands with the king. "I owe it to my friends." He smiled, full of gratitude.

That was when Lea chimed in, "Ah, I'll catch up with ya in no time flat."

"What? You wanna be Keyblade Master?" Sora asked back in shock.

"Yeah. I mean, I came here to learn how to wield one." Lea stepped away from the wall, puffing out his chest with pride for some reason.

"YOU?!" Sora and Riku exclaimed in shock.

"Hey, thanks for the vote of confidence. You know, I was gonna come swooping in, Keyblade in hand! But I just couldn't get mine to materialize. Must be in the snap of the wrist or something." As Lea held out his hand in front of him, something flashed into it— "Oh." A Keyblade like fire itself.

"WHOA!" 

Everyone in the room, aside from Yen Sid and Lea, shouted. 

Yen Sid happily stroked his beard. "It seems we have an unexpected guardian of light on our side."

Mickey began counting on his fingers. "So there's me, Sora, Riku, and now Lea. That makes four. Which means we only need three more."

 _We know where Aqua and Ventus are_ , Yen Sid thought. _However, if we cannot locate Terra in time, we may need backup._

Now that Riku was safe, Sora realized he had many questions. "So, let me get this straight. Xehanort's hijacking people's bodies? Xigbar said that Nobodies had hearts all along. The real purpose of Organization XIII was to hook everyone up to Kingdom Hearts and turn all the members into Xehanort by implanting _his_ heart into the 'empty husks'."

"Correct," Yen Sid responded. "He was trying to send their hearts to the void."

Sora cocked his head. "The...void?"

"Yes," Yen Sid reverently intoned. "The deepest, darkest abyss. The void is the realm of the Unversed."

Donald and Goofy shared a glance with Mickey. It had been a while since they heard the name 'Unversed'.

Sora had never heard it before. He looked over at Riku who shook his head. He apparently didn't know, either. "What are Unversed?" Sora asked.

Yen Sid used his magic to summon an image of two creatures: one Shadow Heartless and one Flood Unversed. "As you know, the Heartless are the embodiment of the darkness in people's hearts. The Unversed, on the other hand, are fledgling emotions that feed on negativity."

This time Riku was the one to ask. "So the Unversed are negative emotions?"

Yen Sid nodded. "Loneliness, sadness, hatred, fear—the heart cannot bear such a tremendous onslaught of negative emotion; it would sooner cease to exist. When this happens, it returns to the void. The void is the realm of nothingness. It swallows all, even sadness and pain. Despite their similarities, the void is not the realm of darkness. Nothingness is born from it." 

"Nothingness..." Sora repeated.

Yen Sid looked back up at Sora and Riku. "If one's heart returns to the void, they will never awaken on their own. It will be as if they were never born at all. In actuality, the creatures could more accurately be called 'Unbirths'."

"So, he was planning to turn you into another Xehanort so he could control your body," said Riku with his arms folded. "To do that, he was trying to cause your heart so much pain, it would return to the void."

Sora thought back to what Young Xehanort told him and shuddered at how close he came to losing his heart.

**_"It's because we need you, Sora. Or, to be more precise, we need what will be left of you—the thirteenth dark vessel."_ **

**_"Your heart will sleep forever in the folds of darkness. And your body will be another vessel for me. So light gives way to darkness. Good night, Sora."_ **

"He's putting a different heart inside of people. Hearts are our connections with others. The feelings we have toward our friends. You can't just switch that out like it's a bottle on a shelf. With a different heart, you're a different person..." He turned towards Lea. "Did you know what Xemnas was planning?"

"No... I never knew what the higher-ups were really after. I suspect the only members who really knew were Xemnas and Xigbar." Lea's mind was a bit distracted after hearing all this new information. He recalled Xemnas's speech when the heart-shaped moon first became visible in the sky.

**_"The time has come… At long last, the great gathering of hearts is revealed to us. Hearts full of rage, of hate…of sadness and bliss… Shining down upon us is the heart of all hearts—Kingdom Hearts."_ **

"We were always told that once Kingdom Hearts was completed, we would unite with it and gain hearts of our own," explained Lea. "But Xemnas's true goal all along must have been to use all the negative emotion stored by those hearts Roxas collected. Then, he'd turn us all into his vessels."

_No wonder Isa changed. He was...just another Xehanort all along. If Sora hadn't stopped Xemnas, then I would be, too..._

Meanwhile, Yen Sid was reflecting on what he had previously told Mickey before the exam.

**_"Tell me...would a single one of you suffice if what you faced was not a single one of him?"_ **

He was now proven right. "It is as I suspected. Thirteen darknesses. Thirteen Xehanorts. After you defeated his Heartless and Nobody, Master Xehanort was restored to his original self."

Mickey nodded resolutely. "He's creating a brand-new Organization XIII. And Sora was almost turned into the final member."

Sora turned his attention to Riku. "So, that grey-haired guy I kept seeing in the Sleeping Worlds. He was Xehanort from the most distant past?"

"Yeah," he responded. "I also saw Ansem—the fake one—at Notre Dame. He's a member, too."

"And I met Xemnas in Pinocchio's world."

"Xigbar and Saïx were there in the organization's world, too," said Riku.

Lea looked down at the floor upon hearing that. _Isa._ _His heart never returned to him. It's in the void._ _Braig must have taken his body away before I woke up. He's still a vessel._

"There was also...me."

Everyone turned their attention to Riku after that declaration.

"WHAT!?" shouted Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"Riku, what do you mean?" asked Mickey.

"I saw him inside of Monstro. A younger version of myself wearing a black coat."

Sora didn't know what to make of it. "Monstro? No way... So does that mean...?"

Mickey tried to come up with an explanation. "Xehanort can transcend space and time. The Organization's been using hearts. Ones Xehanort got to in the past and has influence over. So, that must've been you from when Ansem had control of _your_ heart."

"...I'm sorry." Riku was staring at the floor. 

"It's not your fault, Riku." Sora put a hand on his shoulder.

Yen Sid's tone turned more urgent. "With the emergence of this new threat, we need seven lights to go into battle against his thirteen darknesses. We must locate Terra, Aqua, and Ventus as soon as possible."

Lea was startled to hear that, but didn't let it show. _Ventus is...one of the missing Keyblade wielders? They're trying to bring him back...?_

"Unfortunately, Sora, you did not acquire the power you needed during your exam."

Sora drooped his head after Yen Sid's reminder.

Donald and Goofy looked at him nervously.

But Riku had some news to lift his friend's spirits. "When I dove inside your heart, Sora, I spoke to Ansem the Wise."

"Huh? Ansem the Wise was...in my heart?"

**_"DiZ! I mean... Ansem the Wise. What are you doing here?"_ **

**_"Perhaps I wanted to atone for events of the past, even if no apology can undo the harm I have wrought. I felt...that I ought to leave at least something behind. So I digitized myself and my research, and hid them within Sora."_ **

"Yeah. He said he wanted to atone for the past. So he digitized himself and his research and hid it inside of you. He said it was a clue to bringing back the people who've been lost."

Mickey then had a sudden realization.

**_"DiZ told me...he hid something inside you during the year you were asleep. I asked him what, and all he would say was that he was 'clearing his conscience.' Sora must be the key to saving the people you saw—and the ones you're about to see."_ **

"Gosh, that's a lot like what happened inside the datascape. I met a data version of Naminé there and she said the same thing. That's why I sent you all that letter."

Inside the datascape, Naminé showed all the people who were hurting. And Mickey couldn't help but notice that Roxas—someone he hadn't met before—looked familiar.

**_"Yen Sid... I think we're finally close to figuring out where Ven's heart is."_ **

**_"Is that so? Then that leaves only Terra."_ **

**_"Right. And we've gotta save all three of 'em."_ **

"Master Yen Sid, is it time we told Sora the truth?" Mickey asked.

"Hmm. I was hoping to wait until he learned the power of waking. But it seems we have no choice."

Sora raised an eyebrow at the king and the old wizard. "Huh? Told me what?"

"Sora, do you still have that photograph that Riku left for you as a clue?" Mickey asked.

"Huh? Uh, yeah, I think so?" He began fumbling through his pockets. Maybe he had a few too many pockets.

"I got it, Your Majesty." Goofy had actually held onto it and handed it to the King.

Mickey pointed at a blonde-haired boy standing in front of the old mansion with Hayner and friends. "Yup, I knew it! That's Ventus, all right!" He showed the picture to Yen Sid who also confirmed it with a nod.

Sora was taken aback.

Donald and Goofy took a closer look at the photo. Donald squinted, then squawked in surprise.

Goofy scratched the side of his head. "Gawrsh King Mickey, you're right."

Goofy and Donald only met Ventus once. But the king had become good friends with him. It seemed everyone agreed on one thing, however.

Now Sora was _really_ confused. "Wait, THAT'S Ventus? But, Your Majesty... that's Roxas. You know, my Nobody? How could he be _Ventus_?"

Lea was standing against the wall with his arms folded, listening very intently.

It was time for Yen Sid to finally tell Sora the story of Ventus. "About a decade ago, Xehanort tried to create the X-blade out of Ventus by sifting him in half—light and dark—and having the two sides clash. Following their first battle with Xehanort, Ventus's heart refused to awaken, and so Aqua found a safe location to conceal him. But when she set off in search of her other missing friend Terra, she never returned. I can only surmise that Ventus's heart never returned to him, either." He then looked directly at Sora. "It must have found its way inside of you."

"But then why does R—?" Sora stammered.

"It musta been in Hollow Bastion!" Goofy interrupted. "Remember how ya freed Kairi's heart from yours?"

Donald agreed. "You must have released Ventus's heart, too."

"Right," reasoned Mickey. "Your actions that day created a Heartless and a Nobody. Your heart stayed inside the Heartless, and you were able to change back. But Ventus's heart went inside your Nobody. That's the only explanation."

 _So that's it_ , Lea thought, glad to finally have an answer. _That's how they could both exist at the same time._

"But Roxas is a part of me again. So Ventus's heart is...inside of me?" But it wasn't _that_ hard to accept. _In the dream world, Riku and Kairi changed into two people who called me 'Ven'. They must have been Terra and Aqua._ "So you've known about this _before_ you had me take the exam? Why didn't you tell me!?"

"Donald and Goofy informed me how you released Kairi's heart from your own by turning the Keyblade on yourself," Yen Sid explained calmly. "We wanted you to gain the power of waking first, so you wouldn't do anything reckless."

Noticing Sora's discouragement, Mickey recalled what Aqua told him in the realm of darkness.

**_"This is...where I met those children."_ **

**_"So many worlds have been lost. And now they're trapped here in the dark. Wait_ _—_ _you know this place, Aqua?"_**

**_"Yes. I visited once, and I met two boys I considered passing the Keyblade on to. But because Terra had already given one of them the power, I didn't."_ **

**_"Aqua. What were the boys' names?"_ **

**_"They were...Sora and Riku."_ **

"Master Aqua told me she was considering passing the Keyblade on to one of you, but Terra beat her to it. So Master Yen Sid and I thought maybe you both would be the key to saving her, Terra, and Ventus."

 _Him_ , Riku thought. _Yes._ _That was definitely Terra._

"Huh? I never met Aqua or Terra. Hey, wait a sec! Does that mean—!?" Sora stared at Riku, stunned after it sank in.

Riku simply nodded, then stared at his hand. "Yeah. I met Terra and he passed the Keyblade on to me. But he asked me to keep it a secret. So I did."

Donald and Goofy were shocked. "Wow..."

Sora stared at the floor. He remembered the time in Hollow Bastion when Riku took the Keyblade from him. _I know I wasn't chosen by the Keyblade._ He was beginning to feel a bit depressed. "So, is Ventus's heart in the void?"

**_"Aw, Sora. Don't tell me your heart's sleeping, too," Mickey said to his young friend. He was remembering another boy who had slept in this room —Ventus, one of the three Keyblade wielders who had sought to save the world._ **

**_"No, Mickey. This affliction is not the same."_ **

"No," said Yen Sid. "Ventus's heart is asleep. After merging with your heart, he experiences whatever you experience, through his dreams."

 _He sees my life through his dreams?_ _What am I supposed to do to help him, then?_

 _The power of waking,_ Lea thought to himself. _Riku was able to bring Sora back from the void. Sora is going to wake Ventus. Then maybe I'll be able to save Isa._ _But I have to get stronger first._ "Well, I gotta go." He was sulking earlier, but he seemed more cheerful now. "If I'm gonna become a Keyblade master, I gotta start training with Merlin. Don't have time to waste here with you kids." 

"Uh...okay. See you later." After Lea abruptly left, Sora decided to take a step outside. _I need a break to let all this sink in._

Once Sora left, Yen Sid addressed the newest Keyblade master. "Riku, I have a request for you."

"Oh. Sure."

* * *

Sora was sitting on the stairs at the entrance of the Mysterious Tower. He was thinking of Roxas and Ventus.

_**"Tell me... Tell me why he picked you!"** _

_Roxas..._

**_"This could have been the other way around. But it really has to be you."_ **

_In the dream world, I told him he was his own person. Deep down, I always felt like he had his own heart. No wonder. He's not really me at all._

**_"Hypocrite. You are the one who has made your heart a prison..."_ **

_Xehanort was right. Without the power of waking, my heart_ is _a prison._

When Xehanort told him his heart was a prison, Sora saw himself with dark hair, cloaked in darkness. He didn't realize yet that it was actually Vanitas he saw.

Donald and Goofy came outside and sat down beside him.

"Cheer up, Sora."

"All this sulking just because he failed his exam..." Donald admonished.

"Hey! No need to rub it in!" Sora said, sounding genuinely agitated.

Riku and Mickey then walked out the door after a short time.

Mickey was waving. "See you soon, Riku."

Sora stood up. "Huh? Riku, you're leaving somewhere?"

"Don't worry," Riku assured. "I just have a quick errand to run for Master Yen Sid. I'm coming right back."

"Oh, okay." Sora was still feeling a little down, but knew just the thing to cheer himself up. "Well then, I guess I will, too."

"What? You're leaving, too?" Donald squawked.

"Do ya have to go?" Goofy asked him with worry.

"Well…I did doze off… I just have some stuff to take care of."

"Are you gonna be okay?" Donald was concerned, too.

"Yeah. I won't be long," Sora replied with a grin.

Riku and Mickey looked on from behind Donald and Goofy.

"Be careful," Mickey called.

" _Very_ careful," Riku added.

"Right. See you soon." With that said, Sora held his Keyblade up to the sky.

A Sleeping Keyhole appeared in the air, and he vanished in a flash of light.

* * *

Sora had arrived in Traverse Town. "Good, I was hoping this world was still here." But he was all alone. Disappointed, Sora looked around. "But where are they?"

"Mrarf!" Sora turned around as a familiar cry reached his ears.

"There you are!"

Meow Wow was bounding toward him, overjoyed.

"Did you help Riku?"

"Mrarf."

"Yeah, he told me all about it." Sora patted the Dream Eater's head as it rubbed against him, then looked up at Komory Bat flying over, too. The Spirits had protected him and Riku. "Thanks! You're the best."

Sora's new adventure was about to begin.

Right about then, in Castle Oblivion's Chamber of Waking… A lone boy sat fast asleep. A peaceful smile rose on his lips, as if he were seeing a pleasant dream.


	2. The Hearts of Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku travels to Destiny Islands to pick up Kairi for her Keyblade training. There, he reminisces about the jealousy in his heart that led him to meeting the Robed Figure. Kairi also reminisces about her painful past, which she kept secret from both Sora and Riku. She and Riku have a heart-to-heart and become closer, healing the rift between them that formed in the prologue of KH1.

When Riku arrived back on his home world, he stood on the little island where the children played. He began to walk around and reflect on his long journey. Before long, he found himself inside the secret place. 

He turned his attention to the Door. There was no Keyhole on it anymore. He'd seen it after the meteor shower, the day Kairi showed up on the island. And he saw it on the day he first summoned the Keyblade and opened the Door. But now it was gone.

**_"The boy chosen by the Keyblade—Riku."_ **

**_"What?"_ **

**_"It was yours first, wasn't it? But you succumbed to the darkness you could not control, and your prize—the Keyblade—passed onto Sora instead. Your mistakes always end up being other people's problems."_ **

_Xehanort was right. I invited darkness into my heart. I destroyed my home and forfeited my Keyblade to Sora. The man in the robe was lured to the island by the darkness inside me._

**_"Me? I'm a Dream Eater?"_ **

**_"Correct. But you failed to protect him. After all your efforts to command the darkness and protect those you cherish, it is a shame you locked that power away in the end."_ **

_After I left the island, I met Maleficent. After that, I travelled the worlds looking everywhere for Sora, Kairi, and also...for Terra. Once I found him, I'd find the strength to protect what mattered. It was my fault Kairi lost her heart. I vowed I'd do anything to save her. I thought I had no choice. I was the mature and responsible one. It was the one thing I was better at than Sora. That's why the darkness took over my heart._

**_"You know…when I look at you…there's this memory that flashes back. A secret I said I'd keep when I was little. The main reason I kept dreaming about the outside world…was 'cause of him."_ **

_Terra. I know I have weakness in my heart._

**_"That was my...my dark side. I gave in to the darkness once. And ever_ _since, it's chased me around in one form or another. The Seeker of Darkness_ _who stole my body...a puppet replica of the shadows in my heart...and now,_ _I'm facing me."_**

_My dark side is a member of the new Organization XIII. I wonder. Can ever truly redeem myself?_

Riku stared intently at the Door and remembered that day _—_ the day he first heard the "voice".

* * *

Riku was lying on the shore, looking at the sea and sky. When he closed his eyes and tried to sleep, he could hear the sound of the waves. The backs of his eyelids became tainted in a deep blue as the sea and sky came into view.

**_"In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking... its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend—no ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love."_ **

_It's a very important memory of mine—I can only see it in my dreams right now. It feels so...far away._

"Riku!" Sora was running like always, kicking up sand.

"Still as noisy as always, Sora."

"We went through all the trouble of coming out to the island today. You can't just lie around sleeping!"

"Hey, unlike you little _children_ , I'm tired."

There was a one year difference between Riku and Sora. Even so, at their age, one year was a big difference. To shut Sora up, all you needed to do was remind him of being younger. Sure enough, his mouth tapered off into a frown.

"Did you want something?"

"Not really… nothing important anyway." Sora sat down on his knees next to Riku. "Lately, all you've been doing is looking at the sea, Riku."

"But no matter how much you look at it, the sea doesn't change, does it? It's the same old sea."

Sora tilted his head. "Er, yeah. I guess so..."

Riku peered at Sora's face. He must've been doing some sword play earlier. From far away, Wakka and Selphie could be heard yelling and playing. This cove was a little removed from the place where everyone always played, so not many people came here. The lapping waves were also a little quiet.

"What're you two doing together?"

A smile spread across Sora's face as he looked back at the owner of the voice. It was Kairi. "Thanks to him, nothing."

"Yeah, we're not doing anything." Riku looked back slowly, and a smile just slightly floated across his lips. He had to keep what he was _really_ thinking a secret.

Kairi sat down next to Sora. "That's boring, right?" he said to her, looking for a kindred spirit.

"Well, I think it's nice to sit and look at the ocean every once in a while."

Not getting the answer he wanted from Kairi, Sora pouted again, then turned around to look at Riku. "Hey, Riku. Can we do something else?"

"Lemme guess. _That_?"

Sora nodded. "A beach race!"

"Again?" said Riku exasperated, and he shrugged his shoulders.

"What do you mean 'again'? It's been forever! I think the last time we did that was, uh…"

"Three days ago," said Riku, even more exasperated.

Just three days ago they had raced, and the result was Sora's crushing defeat. But Sora would never stop trying until he won, no matter how badly he was beaten.

 _If I were to keep losing like Sora does, would I keep on trying until I won?_ Riku had thought about that sometimes, but wasn't sure if he actually would.

"There, ya see? It was _three whole days_ ago!"

Kairi laughed softly at Sora's insistence.

"Guess I have to. But just once."

"All right!" Sora jumped slightly as Riku stood reluctantly.

"I'll be the judge," said Kairi, walking to a higher spot from which she can see the start line.

"The usual rules apply. Take any route you want. First one to tag that tree and make it back here wins."

"Yeah, yeah, got it," Sora said, nodding at Riku's explanation.

"If I win, I'm captain!" Sora declared.

In response to Sora's proclamation, Riku glanced at the logs lined up on the sandy beach. The trio had gathered them together. They were trying to build a raft right now with those logs. In order to go somewhere that wasn't here _—_ to go somewhere else, beyond the sea.

"And if you win…"

Sora tried to continue, but Riku interrupted him with a thought that came to his mind. "I get to share a paopu with Kairi."

Sora physically stopped in his tracks, surprised by Riku's blunt assertion. "Huh?"

"Deal? The winner gets to share a paopu with Kairi."

"Wha... Wait a minute…" Sora was getting flustered.

The paopu tree. There was a special legend about its fruit. If two people shared one, their destinies became intertwined. They'd remain a part of each other's lives no matter what.

_I know who Sora wants to share a paopu fruit with. And, perhaps, who Kairi wants to share it with as well._

"Okay! On my count:" Oblivious to their conversation, Kairi's voice echoed over the beach. "Three! Two! One! Go!"

Kairi kicked off the battle. Riku ran straight across the tree bridge, but it looked like Sora had opted to run along the beach route. Riku knew that the beach route was actually faster if you ran it quickly enough. The bridge had gaps and running smoothly across the beach was much faster than jumping the trees. Sora practically ran for his life on the beach. Riku knew that Sora would get serious in response to that challenge. But he couldn't take back the words he'd impulsively let slip out of his mouth.

_Sora drew himself offering Kairi a paopu fruit. He probably doesn't even know I know about that drawing._

Riku took the leap from the tree bridge to the watch tower and looked down at the beach. Sora looked like he was running behind. Riku took one big, deep breath and jumped up to ride on the slider. If he kept up this pace, Sora probably wouldn't overtake him.

The difference between 14 and 15 was still pretty big, and when he'd fought seriously, Riku had never lost to Sora. Sometimes he did lose, but it was either on purpose or because he was annoyed and not really putting effort into it. Sora hadn't noticed that, but Riku thought Kairi might have.

He also thought that, someday soon, he might _really_ lose to Sora. In this moment, he would lose to Sora in proportion to the amount they occupied Kairi's heart. And if there was one thing Sora was always better than him at, it was connecting with others' hearts. Sora had a childlike charm that drew in everyone around him. Maybe that was why it stung so much when Riku began to notice Kairi's feelings. It reminded him of what he was lacking.

Riku sent sand flying up as he landed on the beach from the slider. Sora was still behind him. He jumped to the rocky area, and as he went to touch the paopu tree, Riku jumped up higher to the palm tree growing at his side, where he waited for Sora's arrival. Sora finally jumped up from the ground, and, confirming that he touched the paopu tree, Riku jumped to the wooden bridge. Kairi was just beyond their line of sight, and she was staring at Sora.

_I probably won't lose to Sora today, either. But probably I'll lose to Sora someday. If that's the case—_

Sora ran in a daze. "Whoooo!"

_That's definitely why I can't beat Sora._

Riku had lost, by just a couple of steps.

"I did it!" Sora yelled, falling down on the beach.

Riku looked down at his face. "Sure is like you to get all worked up over who's captain, Sora," he told him, calm and composed.

Sora then puffed his cheeks, sulking. "Uh, a-about that thing you said…" Sora asked.

"That thing I said? Oh, about the paopu fruit. It was a joke. You should've seen the face you made…it sure was funny," Riku said, as Kairi ran up to the two.

"Sora, congrats!"

Sora answered by raising a fist, as if he didn't have the energy to face Kairi.

"What were you two talking about?"

"Secret," Riku answers, jumping to leave the inlet towards the cliff. He kind of wanted to be alone.

"Where're you going?" she asked.

"That's also a secret."

Kairi tilted her head a little, staring at Riku, who'd answered bluntly.

"And you won't beat me next time, either!" Sora shouted.

"Okay, okay, I get it." And so Riku climbed the cliff.

Once he was alone, he gazed dazedly out over the horizon.

_There's no way I can lose to Sora._

He wasn't sure how long he felt this way. Probably since he'd noticed Kairi's feelings. And because of that, he felt even more strongly:

_There's no way I can lose to Sora in anything else._

The race just before was like that. He gave Sora a time handicap, was careless, and lost.

_Sora, I'm jealous. I can't be that desperate like you were. I can't laugh and smile the way you do, either. Why am I the only one who's a year older?_

He might not have felt that way if he were the same age as them. He thought back to his childhood, back when it was just him and Sora.

**_"Hey, Sora."_ **

**_"Hm?"_ **

**_"When we grow up, let’s get off this island. We’ll go on real adventures, not this kid stuff!"_ **

**_"Sure. But isn’t there anything fun to do now? Hey, you know the new girl at the mayor’s house? She arrived on the night of the meteor shower!"_ **

Riku was always eager to grow up. But back then, things were so much of fun. Then...Kairi arrived. From then on, Sora was always thinking about her and vice versa. Even now, he was probably less excited to see the outside world as he was to go on an adventure with _her_. And Riku was sure she felt the same way. He couldn't help but feel a little left behind.

_I can kind of feel a pain deep in my chest._

The wind felt nice, but he was still in a bad mood.

 _If Sora weren't here—or if Kairi weren't here—I'd probably get along fine with whoever WAS_ _here. But right now, I don't know what I should do. Maybe it's cruel, but I dream of a world without Sora. Or maybe what I really want is a world without Kairi._

The wind kept blowing.

 _Is this wind coming from the sea?_ _Or is it coming from the sky?_ _The sea and the sky in front of me are the same as always. This world will never change._

Riku closed his eyes. Even with his eyes closed, the blue of the sky and the sea was burned onto the back of his eyelids.

_I just want to be pulled out of this unchanging world._

_"The Door will soon open."_

At the sudden voice, Riku opened his eyes wide. "Who's there?"

However, there was no one around. All he could hear were the cries of seagulls, and the sound of waves.

_"The Door will soon open."_

He heard it once again.

 _I've heard this voice before._ _Yes—I know whose voice this is..._

* * *

Riku looked up at one of the many drawings on the cave wall. This was one he'd drawn a long time ago. Sora and Riku were fighting a big scary monster. Sora stood in front of Kairi, wielding a sword to protect her. And Riku leapt into the air to deal a strike.

_**"Is there some reason you're interested in the outside world?"** _

_**"Yeah. I wanna be strong one day. Like that kid who left. He went to the outside world—I bet he's really strong now. I know it's out there somewhere—the strength that I need."** _

_**"Strength for what?"** _

_**"To protect the things that matter. You know, like my friends."** _

He'd wanted to become strong to defend all his friends _—_ Sora, Tidus, Wakka, Selphie _—_ from monsters. He'd almost forgotten what that felt like to be so young and innocent.

Back when he was around 8 years old, he told Sora there was no such thing as Santa Claus. It was just a childish fairy tale, nothing more. Sora argued vehemently at first, but Riku was able to persuade him.

_**"Surely we remember as children the way our hearts made everything seem so shiny, and perfect. Sora has a heart like that—uncorrupted, willing to see the good before the bad."** _

"Of course he actually exists. Sora turned out to be right all along," he muttered to himself.

Then, Riku turned his eyes down toward the picture Sora and Kairi drew as kids, right next to the Door. Sora drew himself offering a paopu to Kairi. Riku knew that already. But it appeared Kairi had made a new drawing. She was offering an even larger paopu fruit to him.

**_"Ha ha, you're such a kid. How are you gonna take care of HER if you act like that?"_ **

He couldn't help but smile slightly. "He is a kid. But I guess that's _why_ he's the only one who can take care of her."

* * *

Kairi was sitting on the dock, listening to the sound of the waves. The sun was slowly setting, casting its red light over the water.

**_"It's just…they really need me. I have to go. I am who I am…because of them."_ **

**_"See you soon."_**

**_She placed a Wayfinder in Sora's hand._ **

They had only recently come home again. Sora had finally given her the lucky charm back after a whole year of separation. But as soon as the message in the bottle arrived, she knew they would have to leave again.

**_"What is it?"_ **

**_"I'm making thalassa shell charms. In the old days, sailors always wore them. They're supposed to ensure a safe voyage."_ **

**_"A sailor's amulet, huh…"_ **

**_"I'm making them so even if one of us gets lost, we'll make it back here safe and sound. …So the three of us will always be together."_ **

_I didn't think we'd get separated again so quickly. I'm tired of being left behind._

_**"Say, Kairi, what was your hometown like? You know, where you grew up."** _

_**"I've told you before, I don't remember."** _

At that time, the only thing that Sora knew was that the town Kairi lived in when she was little wasn't Destiny Islands. And though he was told that there was a town, it seemed that she didn't remember anything about it in the slightest.

**_"Nothing at all?"_ **

**_"Nothing."_ **

**_"You ever want to go back?"_ **

**_"Hmm…Well, I'm happy here."  
_ **

**_"Really..."_ **

**_"But, you know...I wouldn't mind going to see it."_ **

Kairi stared out at the ocean, her face unreadable. It didn't look lonely or sad or even happy, but her face was expressing something. She wore this expression often.

* * *

A little girl ran up to an old woman who was sitting in a chair. "Grandma! Please!"

The old woman gazed fondly on the girl and slowly began to tell a story. It was a story she'd heard many times before, but she never got sick of it.

“Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved the light. Then people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. And darkness was born in their hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing the light, and many people's hearts. It covered everything, and the world disappeared. But small fragments of light survived…in the hearts of children. With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world. It's the world we live in now. But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness. That’s why the worlds are still scattered, divided from each other. But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open, and the true light will return. So, listen, child. Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away. Do you understand, Kairi?”

Young Kairi was looking around excitedly. There were bookshelves full of books, more than any she'd ever seen before.

Just then, a young man in a white lab coat walked into the library. He had been lingering by the doorway, listening to the fairy tale.

"Oh, Xehanort!" Kairi happily ran over and greeted him. She was extremely fond of the young apprentice.

Xehanort was holding a bar of sea-salt ice cream in his hand. Ansem the Wise had given it to him moments ago, but he hadn't eaten it. However, he knew exactly who to give it to. He bent down next to the little girl. "Here, Kairi. I brought this for you."

"Thanks!" The delighted child happily bit into the treat.

Looking at the smiling girl's face, Xehanort suddenly felt the urge to take the orange charm he held onto out of his pocket. He stared at it as it rested in the palm of his hand.

"Wow, it's a star! Hee hee! It's so pretty!"

"Yeah... The stars. It's funny. It almost feels like I used to watch them with someone." Could that have been why the elderly woman's story caught his attention? He glanced back up at Kairi, who seemed puzzled. _The pure innocence of a little kid. If the light in children's hearts rebuilt the lost worlds, it was definitely children like her._

Xehanort smiled at the little girl, but was hiding his anxiety. He knew there was something important he was supposed to remember, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't.

"Ah, that charm. If I'm not mistaken, you had it in your pocket when we found you. Does it bear some significance to you, Xehanort?"

Xehanort turned to look at Ansem the Wise, who had just entered the room and was standing behind him. "I don't really remember. I just know it's important to me. I think...a friend gave it to me." He clutched it tightly and closed his eyes. 

Ansem felt his heart grow heavy. He wanted nothing more to help his sincere young apprentice remember his past.

"Don't be sad, Xehanort. You'll find your friend someday!" chirped little Kairi.

Xehanort crouched down and patted her on the head. "Yeah. You're right."

Kairi was very quiet for a moment. "If you find your friend, then, does that mean you'll go away?" She looked a bit nervous as she stared up at him with big blue eyes.

Xehanort was a little caught off guard by the question. If he did learn more about his past, what then? "Here. Close your eyes and make a wish on the star." He held out his charm and Kairi placed her tiny hand on top of it.

"I wish me and Xehanort could always be together." Suddenly, Kairi's necklace began to glow. "Wooow! Magic!"

_**"I just cast a magic spell on you. One day when you're in trouble, the light within you will lead you to the light of another. Someone to keep you safe."** _

The same thing had happened before when she was being chased by monsters and the blue-haired woman cast a magic spell on her. Kairi didn't really understand what she was talking about; she just remembered that it was special magic that would always keep her safe.

"There. See? We're friends forever."

"Tee hee."

* * *

"Kairi," said a voice from behind her.

She turned around to see the owner standing on the sand. "Riku! What are you doing here? Is your business with the King and Master Yen Sid finished already?"

"Nah, not quite. I'm here on official business, actually." He walked closer and sat next to her on the dock.

"Oh. I see." She turned around and looked back at the sea.

"Something on your mind?" he asked.

She slowly looked him in the eye. "Riku, are you happy to be back home?"

That wasn't what he was expecting to hear. "What do you mean? Of course I am." _All I wanted was to come back home. But I didn't have the right. Not after what I did. And...the way I looked. But of course, things are different now._

"It's just...back then, you wanted to leave this island so badly. Because you knew I came from another world."

 _Well, that's not completely true. It was more than just Kairi. It was...him._ "It's true, I did want to leave. But ya know... After a while, I realized how much I missed this place. This little island. And all my friends."

"I'm glad," said Kairi, sounding relieved.

The waves lapped quietly against the shore.

Kairi had always told Sora and Riku that she had no memories of her home world. Maybe...she was just afraid. It felt like... if she ever mentioned her old home, maybe she'd have to go back and leave everything here behind. She wasn't sure why she felt that way. She just didn't want things to change. She didn't want to lose everything she ever cared about. Not again.

Kairi gazed wistfully at the sunset. "It was fun seeing other worlds, wasn't it? You know, I'm glad that you sent me and Pluto to Twilight Town. I got to make new friends there."

"Hayner, Pence, and Olette." _Roxas's friends._ "I knew the four of you would get along." Riku smiled warmly.

She nodded. "Mm-hmm. But still, it was nice being able to come back home." _The same days pass by with the same people. Maybe a little boring. But also familiar and comfortable._

Riku thought Kairi seemed a little anxious for some reason. She still didn't know the whole situation of why he and Sora had to leave or what Xehanort was planning, so maybe that was why. "Well, I won't lie. This will be our toughest battle yet."

She looked away when he said that, clearly troubled. "Oh..."

"But after this, things will finally calm down and go back to normal. Don't worry." He looked out at the red sunset and spoke softly. "The three of us will always be together..."

Kairi stared up at Riku when he said that. He wore a beautifully serene expression that she had never seen before. 

_**"You know, Riku's changed."** _

_**"What do you mean?"** _

_**"Hey, let's take the raft and go—just the two of us!"** _

_**"Huh?"** _

_**"** _ _**Just kidding."** _

_**"What's gotten into you? You're the one that's changed, Kairi."** _

_**"…Maybe. You know, I was a little afraid at first…but now I'm ready. No matter where I go or what I see, I know I can always come back here. Right?"** _

_**"Yeah, of course!"** _

_**"That's good. Sora, don't ever change."** _

Kairi remembered how she thought Riku had changed. Back then, it seemed like he didn't care about home anymore. He just wanted to leave everything from his old life behind and start over. Sora didn't see it, but his mood changed when he became fascinated with other worlds. Just like...Xehanort.

But it was now more than obvious that Riku was still the same old Riku.

 _He hasn't really changed, after all, has he? No, actually, I think he has._ "Who's this new Riku, and where's the old one?"

"New me?" _Have I changed? I'm older, sure, and I cut my hair— Is there more?_

"Yeah. You're more like Sora," Kairi observed, giggling.

Riku was a bit taken aback by that.

**_"What I said back there…about thinking I was better than you… To tell you the truth, Sora… I was jealous of you."_ **

**_"What for?"_ **

**_"I wished I could live life the way you do. Just following my heart."_ **

_Right—I've always, always envied Sora. That carefree laugh, the way he would romp around with Kairi, his ability to face whatever was ahead unflinchingly. I've been jealous of all of it, all those things that simply don't come naturally to me._

"Should I be flattered?" Riku asked while laughing. _Y'know, maybe she's right. Maybe I really am different._ "I try too hard to be the role model. It's more fun to just listen to my heart. Which is…Soraesque."

"Well, we still like you." As she smiled at him, her face was almost glowing in the sun's evening light. 

Riku couldn't help but notice her sincerity. He grinned back at her.

"So, I guess you're leaving again? You said you came here on official business."

"Well actually, the official business was to come and get you. Master Yen Sid wants to see you."

"Really? Me? Why?"

"He didn't say."

* * *

"Sora's late. Do ya think he's okay?" Goofy watched the sky from the base of the Mysterious Tower.

Donald sighed beside him.

"Gawrsh, Lea sure hurried back to Radiant Garden, and now Master Yen Sid's sending Riku away, too, on some mystery errand," Goofy commented, and Donald let out an even longer sigh. "Ya think we'll ever get to do something important?"

Just as Goofy asked his question, someone arrived in front of the Mysterious Tower.

"Wak!" Donald exclaimed as he noticed the newcomer, and Goofy turned to look, too.

"Oh! Welcome back, Riku! Hey, wait…" Goofy put his head to one side, his surprise turning to a smile as Donald hopped up as well.

"Hi, Donald. Goofy." Kairi greeted them, then walked up the long set of stairs with Riku.

As soon as he heard the door open, Mickey turned around. "Riku! You're back!" he greeted his friend.

"That's right," Riku replied, stepping into the room. "Master Yen Sid, I brought you the guest you asked for, but…you never said why."

As Riku spoke, Mickey noticed someone behind him, and when he saw who it was, he yelped in surprise. "Huh? Wow!"

"I have come to learn that you, too, can wield a Keyblade. I am glad you are here." Yen Sid bade her welcome, and she stepped into the room.

_**"This time…I'll fight."** _

Kairi had once said those words as she wielded a Keyblade and faced down evildoers at the end of their second adventure, and now here she was.


	3. Apprentices of Ansem the Wise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and the gang return to Radiant Garden and meet the recompleted apprentices of Ansem the Wise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My headcanon is that Ariel is a princess of heart, instead of Alice.

Sora dashed up the steps of the Mysterious Tower and found his two companions waiting for him in front of the door.

"Okay, start talking!" Donald griped, his tail shaking.

"You were gone a long time. What were ya doin'?" asked Goofy with some concern.

"Heh-heh-heh. Secret," Sora replied with a laugh, then flung the door open. He wasn't about to tell everyone what he was up to, but he was glad to know his friends over there were all right. He noticed the glare Donald was shooting him. "What? I just like to say good-bye to all my friends," he shot back.

"Then do it faster!" Donald snapped.

"I'm here now, right?"

"We have matters to discuss," Yen Sid said, putting a stop to the argument.

"Right." Sora suddenly snapped to attention, stiffening his posture.

Kairi giggled softly at his dramatic reaction.

"K-Kairi!?" He hadn't seen her at first due to being so distracted by Donald. "What are YOU doing here?"

Before she had the chance to answer, Yen Sid spoke up. "I asked for Riku to bring her here."

Sora tilted his head in confusion. _So, that was the errand Riku got sent on? But why?_

"The great battle with Xehanort is almost upon us. His ultimate goal is to forge the X-blade. The two elements that created it, one of darkness and one of light, shattered into twenty pieces _—_ seven of light; thirteen of darkness. Since ancient times, these seven pieces of light have been safeguarded by seven pure-hearted maidens. Xehanort will surely attempt to target the seven hearts of light, and force them into conflict with the new Organization XIII."

"Oh! That must be why you summoned Kari. The organization's gonna target her again."

But Yen Sid's response was unexpected. "The original princesses of hearts' time for protecting the pure light has ended, and they have passed the light to others."

"Passed...the light? Wait, you mean like NEW princesses? So what about the old princesses? They're not the seven lights anymore?" 

"No human heart is comprised of pure darkness or pure light. Just as Organization XIII are merely _vessels_ for the thirteen pieces of darkness, and not the darknesses themselves, the princesses are merely vessels for the pieces of pure light which made up the ancient X-blade."

"Ohhhh....I get it."

Sora thought back to the princesses he encountered on his journeys. What was it that made their hearts so special? There was Jasmine. Despite being a commoner, she saw Aladdin's true worth, as a diamond in rough. There was Ariel. Her feelings were powerful enough to unite two worlds: land and sea. And Belle. Her heart was strong enough to look past the Beast's appearance, and change him back into a prince. And then there was Kairi...

"We must take action to keep the new seven pure lights safe, and thus we must hasten to assemble the seven guardians of light," Yen Sid interrupted Sora's musings. "It is time to return to our world the three Keyblade wielders we lost over a decade ago. Ventus, Terra, and Aqua must be saved from their sad end, for they have more to achieve."

"So, we know where Ventus's heart is. Do you know what happened to Terra or Aqua?" asked Riku.

"Aqua fell to a place from which there is no return without outside help," the sorcerer explained, then closed his large eyes and fell into silent thought.

Mickey nodded. "I saw her. In the realm of darkness," he said, beginning his tale.

* * *

Meanwhile, Aqua walked along a deserted beach. The soft rush of the waves reached her ears. A hazy light hung in the distance—perhaps the setting sun, or perhaps the moon. She had finally arrived at the edge of the darkness, and here she found a solitary figure in a black coat.

 _I wonder how long it's been since I've seen another person…_ Aqua spoke to the figure. "Who are you?"

"Why, hello. It's not often I get visitors." The reply came in a deep, masculine voice.

"Please, call me Aqua. Why are you sitting here all alone in the realm of darkness? How did you end up here?" She might have been a bit excited to meet someone else; She clutched her chest to calm her racing heart as she peppered him with questions.

"Well…I can tell you this is my second time on these shores."

_So he's escaped from here before?_

"But unfortunately, much like the first, I do not remember who I am or whence I came. Everything was washed away in whatever currents carried me here."

 _He has no memories?_ "That's too bad…" Aqua was a little disappointed. She'd hoped that maybe he would know a way to escape this realm, but it was nothing more than a fleeting dream. She sat down on the sand a short distance away from the man and confessed, "I know I've been here a long time, wandering through the endless hours…unable to escape…" _I'm just a little…tired._ She put her arms around her knees.

"You wish to return to your own world?" the man asked quietly.

She gave a small nod, then firmly answered. "It's my friends. I promised I'd be there for them." _I want to return—I have to return to the real world, and keep my promise to Ven…_

"Your friends?" the man murmured softly, then looked out over the waves and continued. "Somewhere in the scraps of memory I have left, you remind me of a boy I once knew. He is very much like you—true to his friends, and kind. This boy travels to many worlds and fights to keep the light safe."

"Keep the light safe?" Aqua asked back. She recalled her conversation with Mickey.

_**"What could've brought you here? Has something happened? In the realm of light?** _

_**"It's the Heartless. They've been attacking worlds and taking their hearts. And worlds with no hearts vanish into darkness."** _

"I've been away too long. Did something happen out there? Are the worlds in danger?"

"Sad to say, they nearly fell to darkness more than once. But at every turn, that boy arrived with Keyblade in hand to save the day."

Keyblade—it had been some time since Aqua heard that term as well. The worlds had been saved by a boy with a Keyblade. And there weren't many who could wield those. _Maybe…No, it couldn't be…_ "Wait a sec…Is his name Terra or Ven?" Aqua sat up.

"Neither of those, I'm afraid."

"Should've known." _Of course—Ven wouldn't wake up that easily. Not without me._

_**"Terra—did he make it back to the realm of light?"** _

_**"We still haven't found him."** _

_**"I see. Well, wherever he is, he's fighting. He'll beat his darkness. And I know he wants me to fight too."** _

_**"I think you're right. He'll be just fine."** _

Terra was probably still somewhere out there, but according to Mickey, it had been ten years. Aqua didn't know if he overcame his darkness or not. Each time she came close to giving up, the connection she had with Terra and Ven touched her again. And that had inspired hope in her, that this savior of the worlds could have been either of them.

"How long has it been since I met him? At least a year now, perhaps more…Back then my heart was clouded with vengeance. I did terrible things…both to him and his friends. I brought unhappiness to more lives than one."

The man began recounting his misdeeds. The waves lapped at Aqua's feet.

"I felt something must be done. Was that why? A means of clearing my conscience? Or perhaps out of a sort of scholarly instinct. While the boy slept his long sleep, I hid the results of my research inside him, transplanting the data to where it might best serve a purpose. In fact, I would like to believe…maybe he can set things right. A boy like him who touches so many hearts—he could open the right door and save all those people whose lives I managed to ruin. So many are still waiting for their new beginning, their birth by sleep. Even me…and even you."

Aqua lifted her head and looked at the man. There was something she wanted to know. "What's this boy's name?"

"His name…is…Sora." The man slowly told her.

Tears welled up in Aqua's eyes and ran down her cheeks the moment she heard the name.

_**"Hey, you two mind telling me your names?"** _

"Sora." Aqua called his name. _Everything is connected. It's all connected, even now._ She wiped her tears away.

"Tell me, will you stay here?" asked the man in the black coat, his hood still hiding his face.

Aqua did not know who he was, nor that he had once been called Ansem the Wise. "I can't shake the feeling that these waters touch another shore I've visited."

He knew exactly the place she meant. "The Destiny Islands."

Aqua was surprised to hear the name from him. "You've heard of them?" She smiled and looked over at the man.

"Yes. They are quite lovely—a far cry from this wasteland." He was smiling faintly, too. He'd seen them in Sora's memories.

"I'm staying. Someone will come for me." Aqua's gaze turned back to the horizon.

"These waters are the in-between of dark and light, its shores the margins of day and night. They brought you and I together, so why not also you and another?"

The Dark Margin. The place of fated reunions.

"Yes," Aqua agreed.

Both of them returned their eyes to the light beyond the sea.

* * *

"I thought…I heard her voice in the distance."

In Yen Sid's Mysterious Tower, King Mickey's long tale came to an end.

Kairi looked over at Riku. His head was still lowered, even after the story was over.

"She sacrificed herself to save me?" His hands balled into fists. He knew Mickey had been behind him when he tried to close the Door to Darkness two years ago, but he'd never heard about the other Keyblade Master. An ache filled his chest, and he pressed the king for answers with uncharacteristic force. "Why did you keep it from me for so long?"

"I had to respect her choice," Mickey replied quietly with a shake of his head.

"What about us? You could've given us a choice. We could have gone and helped her!"

"I know…"

Kairi was still watching them. This was the first time Riku had ever spoken so harshly to Mickey.

But Yen Sid stepped in before he could continue. "Do not be rash, Riku. As Mickey told you clearly in his story, reaching the realm of darkness the first time was not a simple task. And even if we had found a way back in, regrettably none of us possessed the necessary means to get Aqua back out safely. So I forbade Mickey from telling you, let alone going after her."

"Why keep it secret?" Riku asked the sorcerer, still struggling to understand.

Yen Sid's owlish eyes opened even wider "That much is obvious," he replied. "If not you, then certainly Sora would have staged a reckless attempt at a rescue."

Sora lowered his head after being called out like that.

But Kairi smiled. It was true. That was exactly what Sora would do, just as he had done with her. She stepped toward Yen Sid. "Master, I came here because I wanted to help somehow. What can I do?"

"I have entrusted the wizard Merlin to oversee the training for our new Keyblade wielders, yourself and Lea."

"Lea?" she asked. She didn't know who that was.

"He means Axel," Mickey explained, and Kairi stepped backward in surprise.

"What?!" she yelped.

"He's a regular person now. He even saved Sora for us. You can trust him!" Mickey informed her.

Kairi turned to Riku questioningly, and he nodded back at her.

Sora arrived a bit late, so he wasn't aware of the news yet. "W-Wait a minute! YOU!?" It was even more shocking for him to hear about Kairi than Lea.

Kairi recognized his worried reaction. She'd seen it once before.

_**"You can’t go."** _

_**"Why not?"** _

_**"Because it’s way too dangerous."** _

_**"C’mon, Sora. We made it this far by sticking together. You can’t go alone!"** _

_**"Kairi, even if we’re apart, we’re not alone anymore. Right?"** _

_**"I can’t help?"** _

_**"You’d kind of be in my way."** _

"That's right," she asserted confidently. "I'm training to become a Keyblade wielder like you."

"But...you can't!"

She looked him right in the eye. "I'm not one of the seven lights anymore. I'm a _guardian_ of light now. I want to get out there and do my part to help. No more waiting for you to come back from your adventures."

Sora fumbled over his words for a few seconds, but had no retort. Kairi was determined to act, and he knew it wasn't his place to deny her that. He then took something out of his pocket. "Okay. You win. I guess that means you can have this back now." He placed the lucky charm in Kairi's hand as the two held each other's gaze.

Yen Sid couldn't help but smile, then he turned his attention to Riku. "The data from Ansem the Wise may offer us a clue on how to rescue Aqua. Please ask Cid to take a look at it. Chip and Dale may be able to help as well."

Riku respectfully bowed after receiving Yen Sid's order. "Okay. I will."

"Kairi, I'll go too. We can drop you off at Merlin's," said Sora.

"Okay."

* * *

Everyone decided to come along to Radiant Garden—Sora, Riku, Kairi, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy.

As Sora was walking through the Marketplace, he noticed the ice cream shop. It was being run by Moogles.

"I wonder where Scrooge went," Goofy wondered.

"Who knows," muttered Donald.

Whenever they came to Radiant Garden from somewhere, Sora would eat a bar of sea-salt ice cream. Whenever he saw something amazing, or whenever he did something amazing, he wanted Kairi and Riku to see the same thing, to do the same thing with him. Today, all he wanted was to sit and eat ice cream while watching the sunset. He wasn't sure why. Perhaps he was remembering being back on Destiny Islands, watching the sun set with Kairi and Riku, imagining himself eating a paopu fruit.

"Let's get some ice cream first!" Sora suggested.

"No! We don't have time!" scolded Donald while stamping his webbed foot.

"Awww..."

Kairi giggled softly. She had eaten some sea-salt ice cream before with Hayner, Pence, and Olette. For some reason it tasted familiar.

"Oh, yeah! Are you happy to be back in your home world? This is where you came from, right?" Sora remembered seeing one of Kairi's childhood memories when her heart was inside of his. 

She held her head high, taking in the sights. Her face looked so peaceful. "Yeah. It's so pretty here. Just like the old days..." 

"Yeah, it's definitely not 'Hollow Bastion' anymore," Riku added.

"The Restoration Committee's done a great job! Let's go see them!" Sora broke into a dash.

"Hey! Slow down!" Donald yapped.

* * *

Sora flung open the door to Merlin's house.

Yuffie instantly turned around at the sound. "Sora! Donald! Goofy!"

"Howdy, Yuffie!" Goofy waved.

"And Riku and Kairi are here, too." Aerith clasped her hands together.

"And the King," Leon added from the corner, smirking slightly.

"Hey, guys!" Sora was very happy to see them. "You look like you're doing well."

"Never better! And I'm happy to see you're all finally together again," Yuffie pointed out.

Cid was seated at the computer and turned his chair around. "Town's doin' real well, too. Not a Heartless in sight." 

"That's great!" Sora looked over at Leon. "Hey, um, you guys don't know any Keyblade wielders named Terra, Aqua, or Ventus, do you?"

Leon shook his head. "No." He turned his gaze toward King Mickey. "You were the first Keyblade wielder we ever met."

"So, who are these other Keyblade wielders?" asked Yuffie.

"It's...kind of a long story," Sora answered, scratching his cheek sheepishly.

Mickey chose to answer instead. "They're friends of mine. And they're in trouble. Ansem the Wise put some kind of data inside of Sora's heart. It could be the key we need to help them. We were hoping you could help us figure it out."

"We can help, too!" Chip jumped onto Sora's right shoulder.

"Yep! We sure can!" And Dale on the other.

"'Fraid I wouldn't be much help with that," explained Cid. "As far as the workings of the heart go, that's way above my pay grade. This computer would be useless. I'd have to take a look at Ansem the Wise's computer."

"Well, we can head on over to the castle with ya," Mickey suggested.

"Nope. No can do."

"Why not?"

"Ansem the Wise's apprentices have returned. They're back in the castle now." Everyone looked at each other when Aerith answered. "Maybe you should speak with them?"

Riku folded his arms. "Can we really expect them to help us, Mickey?"

"Well, I guess we don't exactly have any other options right now."

Kairi was a little uncomfortable at the thought of going to the castle. "Um, is Merlin here?"

"He's with Lea, my dear." The Fairy Godmother appeared as soon as Kairi asked. "He's been informed of your arrival and is waiting for you."

"Thank you." She bowed graciously. "Goodbye, everyone."

Everyone said their goodbyes as she used a spell to transport herself and Kairi to the Secret Forest. "Bibidi-bobidi-boo!"

* * *

Sora, Riku, Donald, Goofy, and Mickey all headed to the Postern. The way was open, just as it was when Sora visited the castle on his previous adventure. The group walked through the hallway, opened the door at the end of it, and entered Ansem's Study.

Aeleus, Ienzo, and Even were already standing inside the little room, combing through various books and documents on the shelves. Riku recognized all three of them from his time in Castle Oblivion.

Ienzo immediately recognized him, too, and was the first to speak. "Riku." He seemed rather surprised.

Riku remembered his last encounter with him.

_**"All of the islands you grew up on were sundered, scattered. Many hearts were forever lost to the darkness. Because of what YOU did! You hated being an islander, so you opened the door to darkness and destroyed the islands. It was YOU! You were pulled into the darkness then, and now you belong to the darkness."** _

Back then he wore a dark cloak, and now he wore a white lab coat. But other than that, he looked the same. "You're Zexion."

"That was the name Xemnas gave me. My real name is Ienzo. And this is Aeleus, one of the castle guards."

Riku glanced over at Aeleus and thought back to what he said, back when he was known as Lexaeus:

_**"You've done well thus far. But to possess your powers, and yet fear darkness... What a waste."** _

_**"I do not...fear it!"**_

He then turned his gaze to a middle-aged man in a white lab coat. "And you're the one who created the replica of me. Vexen."

"Call me Even," he said politely.

"Huh? Replica?" Sora had never heard the word before. Or had he? He wasn't sure.

"Oh yeah… You wouldn't remember. The previous Organization XIII developed realistic copies of people. They're so real, in fact, that you'd actually mistake them for people. It felt like I was facing a mirror image of myself. It reflected the weakness in my heart right back at me." The look in Riku's eyes grew distant for a second, but Sora couldn't guess what he was thinking.

 _**"But there is one easy way to tell** _ _**us apart, though!** _ _**Unlike you, I fear nothing."** _

_**"Are you calling me a coward?"** _

_**"You're afraid of the dark! The darkness inside you still** _ _**frightens you, no matter what you say."** _

_**"Grr..."** _

_**"But I'M different. I embrace the darkness. I can make it do** _ _**whatever I want."** _

"That's because it _was_ a mirror image of you," said Even. "That replica was created from the data I collected from the darkness in your heart. It was your shadow." 

Sora was confused. "Shadow? You mean...like a Heartless?"

"You are technically correct. Shadows are the embodiment of the darkness of the heart. Most take the form of Heartless, creatures that act purely on instinct, without a sense of self. A Heartless that retains a human form and self-awareness is called a shadow. A self opposed to the true self. You could call it an Anti-self. It is the other side of our heart. A mirror image."

"There was only one person we knew of that gave rise to a shadow, instead of a normal Heartless."

Goofy knew who Ienzo was referring to. "Oh, you must be talkin’ about Ansem!"

"Indeed. Xehanort’s Heartless," Even reiterated. "The man who called himself Ansem."

_**"Fake? Oh, no... That's not exactly the right word."** _

_**"What are you saying? Isn't he just a copy of me?"** _

_**"More like a model. He is an example of what you should try to be. He accepts the darkness...just like you once couldn't help but accept me. But now you are afraid. Perhaps YOU are the one who is being fake. Fake when you pretend to have no fear."** _

_**"When have I been afraid of the dark?"** _

_**"Inside of the card-worlds...you grappled desperately with the darkness. Desperation is fear. You fight the darkness because it is what frightens you."** _

_**"I... Be quiet!"** _

_In the Sleeping Worlds, Young Xehanort said the same thing to me._

**_"So sad. The cost of yielding to the darkness."_ ** ****

**_"You could write a book about that."_ **

**_"But I embraced the darkness_ ** _—_ **_and unless you hurry up and learn to_** ** _do the same, your story will end just like his."_ ** ****

**_"I walk the road to dawn!"_ **

_**"Still afraid of the dark, I see."** _

_**"He thinks I'm afraid of the dark? No, not while I have the Keyblade."** _

_I’m not afraid of the darkness—and yet I have to keep reminding myself of that. What if it isn’t really true?_

Even thought back to the report he wrote entitled 'The Truth About Naminé.' "For the longest time, Xehanort was the only one we knew of who gave rise to a shadow. But then, we met Naminé." 

Sora jolted back. "Naminé!? But isn't she’s Kairi’s Nobody?"

Even held a hand to his chin, deep in thought. "Naminé was an anomaly, her heart existing inside your body at the time of her creation."

_**"No matter how much I change his memory, Sora will never forget Kairi. Memories of me — More false memories of me will just make his feelings for Kairi even stronger than before. Because...I'm the shadow of Kairi."** _

_**"What's your problem with that? That should be your incentive not to screw anything up. Just do a good job rewriting Sora's heart. Then you can actually be somebody — and no longer just Kairi's shadow. You'll be real in Sora's heart."** _

"A Nobody is the empty shell left behind when one with a strong heart becomes a Heartless," Even intoned with a certain scholarly quality. "She was not a Nobody like we of the organization were. It would be more accurate to call her Kairi's shadow."

Riku didn't quite understand. _Naminé was like my Replica?_

_**"I thought by finding some new strength, I could finally be someone— someone who is not at all you! But...nothing changes... I'm still just empty! Everything about me is borrowed. As long as you're around, I'll never be more than a shadow!"** _

_I guess it makes sense. She was trying to replace Kairi from Sora's memory, just like the Replica wanted to replace me._ _Maybe everyone has darkness inside of them, after all...even Kairi._

Even always thought Naminé was a most fascinating subject. She had no memories of her own, and although she had only been recently born, she said she had been lonely for a long time. She spent most her time drawing, and all her pictures looked like that of a small child's. All she wanted was to be real in Sora's heart, the way Kairi was. 

"Indeed, shadows are the other side of our hearts. They are often composed of darkness, yes. However, shadows are also composed of our subconscious. Anything that's hidden away deep within. Thoughts and feelings that we don’t like to admit to, or perhaps are not even aware of. Naminé therefore is the part of Kairi that was locked away deep in the shadows of her heart." 

_**"His eyes couldn't lie."** _

_**"Lie? And just who were you trying to fool? Huh? Huhhh?"** _

_**"Myself."** _

_The Replica confronted me with the feelings I couldn't admit to myself... Am I truly ready to live without the blindfold on?_

Aeleus was a man of few words. He cut right to the chase. "Xehanort's Heartless, the man you knew as Ansem, was _his_ shadow. And he was defeated by you."

 _Ansem's shadow_. _The darkness that was inside me..._

_**"The world of darkness, and Ansem's shadow, still nest within your heart. Do you plan to face Sora like that? Are you not ashamed?"** _

Riku put his hand on his chest.

"Yes," replied Even, realizing he was getting distracted and hadn't yet asked the most important question. "And our recompletion no doubt means Xemnas has been defeated as well. And that is why you all came here, I take it?"

Mickey nodded. "Yup. But Xehanort hasn't been defeated for good. Like you all, he's been recompleted and he's planning to cause more trouble."

Ienzo looked over at Aeleus. "With a man like Xehanort, we had expected as much."

Mickey could sense that the apprentices might be open to listening, after all. "We're trying to stop him for good. But we need your help."

Riku spoke up next. "We came to ask you about data Ansem the Wise put inside of Sora's heart."

Ienzo was a little surprised. "Data? From Master Ansem?"

"Does that mean you know where he is?" This was the first time Even spoke with emotion, rather than the cool detachment of a scientist.

"No..." Mickey admitted sadly.

The three apprentices looked disappointed.

"I met him in Castle Oblivion," explained Riku, "when he was going by the name 'DiZ'."

Ienzo folded his arms, a sign he was deep in thought. "Right. The intruder in red. To think... _that_ was Master Ansem."

_**"I've waited, and now I want to know. What is it that you want?"** _

_**"Revenge."** _

"He told me...he wanted revenge. For his apprentices' betrayal."

Under his long bangs, Ienzo looked crestfallen. "I see."

Even gazed longingly at the large portrait which now rested on the floor beside Ansem the Wise's desk.

Mickey noticed what he was looking at. "I don't remember seeing this portrait when I first met Ansem the Wise. Xehanort musta put this up _after_ he banished him."

He answered without taking his eyes off the portrait. "Yes. That is correct. Master Ansem had this portrait created to show his affection for Xehanort, and it was hung in his own quarters. After his betrayal, he placed it in here."

Mickey continued, "The last time we saw Ansem was in the organization's world. He used some kind of device to turn Kingdom Hearts into data, and disappeared in the blast. After that, all the hearts were freed."

"So, we have him to thank for our recompletion," Even responded sedately.

"Before he disappeared, he was working with Naminé," said Riku. "Inside Castle Oblivion, she altered Sora's memories."

"Marluxia's scheme," Aeleus chimed in.

"Yes, I remember well," Ienzo echoed, swiping his hair.

Sora was a little lost. "Marluxia?"

_**"If you continue to seek the girl, Naminé, the shackles will tighten, you'll lose your heart...and end up becoming Marluxia's pawn!"** _

Even thought back on the man he never liked. "Xemnas appointed him leader of Castle Oblivion. He was using Naminé to rewrite your memories, so he could turn you into a puppet for his own agenda, whatever that may have been."

None of the former apprentices knew much about members IX-XII. They joined much later than the others, just before everyone was shipped off to Castle Oblivion, in fact.

Ienzo looked Sora in the eye. "But you defeated Marluxia." He didn't know much of what happened after that because Axel eliminated him.

Unlike Sora, Riku remembered his time in Castle Oblivion well. "After that, Sora had to sleep for a long time in order to put his memory back. It was Naminé and Ansem the Wise who watched over him. Recently, I dove inside Sora's heart and met Ansem. He told me that while Sora was asleep, he digitized himself and his research and hid the results inside of him. And that data is supposed to be a clue about how to bring back people who've been lost."

"Then maybe...there's a chance we can bring him back, too." Even sounded hopeful.

Up until now, Organization XIII had been nothing but their enemy. Donald wasn't convinced they could be trusted. "You really want to help him?"

"Xemnas and Xehanort have no hold over us now. We're students of the heart, exactly the same as we were before all of this began," Ienzo told them in a calm voice, trying to dispel everyone's fears.

"Don't forget, Lea's on our side now," Goofy reminded him.

Even's eyes immediately shifted to the floor when Lea was mentioned.

"Um... I have a question." Sora wondered how to phrase it without sounding accusatory. "If you all want to bring Ansem back, why did you decide to go along with Xehanort in the first place?"

Donald wanted to know, too. "He destroyed your home and banished your king."

"Then he stole his research and started callin' himself the _real_ Ansem," Goofy added.

Mickey was on the same page as the others. "I'd like to know that, too. How is it that Organization XIII came to be?"

Even folded his arms. "Well, it's a rather long story."

Sora wasn't worried about that. "We're listening."

"It all started when Master Ansem found a young man lying unconscious in the central square. He had a brilliant and inquisitive mind, and quickly became a student of the heart alongside us. I sensed an...unusual aura about him from the start, but Xehanort was quite kindhearted and sincere. Our master was most fond of him. He treated Xehanort as his own son." The youngest apprentice looked away sadly as Even continued, "I am sure that his betrayal was most painful for him."

Riku thought back to the time he had first introduced himself as 'Ansem'. He pulled his hood down and revealed his face to DiZ; the same one that had betrayed him all those years ago. He had to wonder what was going through DiZ's mind as he burst out laughing.  
  
"Xehanort was once a Keyblade wielder. And as an apprentice, he was studying the Heartless. But in the reports that Xehanort wrote under Ansem's name, it seemed like he had never heard of them before." Mickey had spent a long time tracking down the pages of the reports, during Sora's first adventure, and felt the need to ask.

"Correct. When our master found him, he had no memories of his past. This deeply troubled the young man. He often said he felt like there were friends he needed to remember."

 _Friends?_ Riku had no idea what to make of that.

"Our master was moved by his plight and so one day, he decided to perform an experiment, to awaken the memories sleeping deep within his heart. After that, everything changed. Xehanort's personality completely changed. Master Ansem abruptly ceased all our research into the heart. But Xehanort ignored his wishes. He and Braig began new experiments."

"Braig?" Sora thought out loud.

"He must mean Xigbar," Riku answered.

"Ohh...right. He's still on Xehanort's side."

"Xehanort and Braig began kidnapping citizens of Radiant Garden, performing dangerous experiments on their hearts. Soon, Heartless were created in large numbers. Xehanort began to study their behavior, in an effort to understand them. One day, the Heartless led him to find a door in the basement of the castle, and he opened it. Inside was a massive core of energy."

_**"Wise Ansem. I'm here to seek your advice."** _

_**"I'm glad we have the opportunity to speak like this, my friend. I'm intrigued by your hypothesis...and I'm finding it difficult to stave off the urge to test it. Still, I'm concerned about the stability of the worlds."** _

_**"Yep, that's what worries me too."** _

_**"The doors that appeared. The place the Heartless seek. I fear my research may have brought this upon us..."** _

"That's right," Mickey remembered. "I do remember Ansem the Wise mentioning the doors that the Heartless were seeking."

Even nodded and continued with the story. "After that door was opened, all the Heartless vanished into it. That very night, there was a meteor shower. This piqued our master's attention, but he was still unaware of Xehanort's experiments. You see, Xehanort was convinced that the Heartless were the key. With all the pureblood Heartless gone, he created a device to create artificial Heartless. Emblem Heartless, as he called them. And...they would create a path leading him to the heart of the world."

"So that's why that machine was crankin' out all them Heartless," Goofy supplied.

Mickey agreed. "Yup."

Even looked down at the diminutive king. "I'm afraid that after your visit, Xehanort became obsessed with a new subject: the Keyblade and its connection to the princesses of heart. He kidnapped a young girl he suspected as being one of the seven pure lights and separated her heart from her body. He thought she would lead him to the Keybearer."

Sora knew who he meant. "Kairi..." he said sadly. "So, _that's_ how she left her home world..."

Even left Ansem's Study and walked into lab, and everyone else followed. He looked at the computer monitor, at the words 'D.T.D'. "For the sake of research, we all used this computer and entered the world inside."

* * *

Xehanort was sitting down at his desk, writing his final report. He was certain of one thing: the strange machine inside the datascape was once used to cast away one's body, setting the heart free. The possibility intrigued him. He knew he had to make use of it.

**_Where does the body go when it separates from the heart? If the soul remains within the body, is it still considered to be deceased?  
_ **

**_When the heart returns to the Heartless, the physical form disappears. But that is merely true in this world. Perhaps the body exists in another form in another world.  
_ **

**_If that is the case, then it is possible for one to exist in two worlds.  
_ **

**_A being that is neither darkness nor light; belonging nowhere; abandoned by its heart; a mere shell of its former self.  
  
The relation between the heart and the body is complex. However, I am certain that if your self exists here, then by definition the other cannot truly "exist." The other, the one which does not exist, shall be dubbed, "Nobody."_ **

After finishing his report, he left his quarters and walked into the lab. An eerie silence had fallen over it. Two figures wearing white lab coats lay on the floor—Ienzo and Even. Before them a man with a single eye, Braig, faced the computer.

He looked up as Xehanort entered the lab. "Hey! Is this how you wanted it?" Braig hurried over to the man, the youth with silver hair. "Xehanort! You wanna fill me in?"

"I am…" Xehanort began, and Braig noticed that something seemed off. The young man held out his right hand, and a Keyblade appeared in it.

Braig's breath caught in his throat. "Hey! Do you remember now, or…? Wait, did you never lose your memory?"

But Xehanort said, "That's not my name. I'm not 'Xehanort.'"

The denial stunned Braig. Did that mean this was Terra? The young man thrust his Keyblade into Braig's chest so suddenly that Braig still wasn't sure what had happened as he felt consciousness slipping away from him. He crumpled to the floor, and something was shining in his chest—his heart.

"My name…is Ansem."

Braig was certain that was the name he heard, just before everything went dark.

Not long afterward, Dilan and Aeleus arrived in the lab, dragging Lea and Isa alongside them. Isa was like a zombie, completely unaware of anything going on around him. Even, Ienzo, and Braig were all lying on the floor. Their transparent figures were now becoming solid, but they had yet to wake up.

"We are here," said Aeleus.

"So, what exactly is this 'plan'?" Dilan asked skeptically.

Xehanort, now 'Ansem' replied, sounding excited. "When the soul leaves the body, its vessel, life gives way to death, but what about when the heart leaves? A being does not perish when its heart leaves its body. The heart alone disappears into the darkness. Think of the possibilities: a life without the shackles of emotion. The strength of the human heart is vast. Soon, though...we will have gained power over it! Never again will it...have power over us."

Aeleus desired only one thing: greater power. He had fallen from the right path in pursuit of this goal. Perhaps this was the only path available to him now.

"Braig, Even, and Ienzo have successfully relinquished their hearts. Now, they have been reborn. So, it is time for us do the same. Dilan, Aeleus. Bring X along and follow me."

"And what of this one?" Dilan peered down at Lea.

"Leave him behind."

Aeleus led Isa by the hand and began walking towards the computer’s transporter. The apprentices were all ignoring Lea, as if he were not even there.

"Wait!"

'Ansem' turned around.

"Let me join you guys." Lea fell on hands and knees. "I'll give up my heart, too. Please, I'm begging you!" Tears began welling in his eyes.

Dilan said nothing, but he felt a quiet disdain for humans and their incessant need to be pinned down by feelings. Watching the tearful boy's pathetic pleas, he was certain of one thing: he couldn't wait to be free of that curse.

The silver-haired man flashed a creepy smile and extended an outstretched hand. "Very well. Come." 

Everyone stepped onto the transporter and arrived inside a large mysterious room shrouded in darkness. There was a large machine with coffin-like pods. A small girl was already inside the center pod, fast asleep. Dilan and Aeleus got inside the two pods on the left side, while Lea and Isa were placed inside the two pods on the right side.

"Oh, those born of the darkness, devoid of hearts…" 'Ansem' was recording his voice on the machine. "Ravage all worlds and bring desolation." He sounded as if he were reciting a poem or incantation. 

Though his reasons were different from the apprentices, Lea was also intent on ridding himself of his heart. _I don't need a heart_ , he thought to himself. _No heart means no guilt or self-doubt. I'm gonna get my best friend back. No matter what it takes. I'll do anything. ANYTHING._

"Seize all hearts and consummate the one great heart. All hearts to be one and one heart to encompass all. This is the realm of 'Kingdom Hearts.' The great darkness, sealed within the great heart."

Neither Dilan or Aeleus had any idea what 'Ansem' was talking about. In that moment, he barely even sounded human.

"Progeny of darkness, return to the eternal darkness. For the hearts of light shall unseal the path. Seven hearts, one keyhole, one key to the door. The Door of Darkness tied by two keys. The Door to Darkness, to seal the light. None shall pass but shadows, returning to the darkness. Oh, those born of the heart, those with no hearts, fallen children of the dark, devour every heart until the Door to Darkness opens!"

 _Devour every heart? Door to Darkness?_ _The hell is he talking about?_ That was the last thought Lea had before he witnessed 'Ansem' summon a Keyblade and stab himself.

Then, the machine activated.

* * *

Even had now finished his story. "We lay inside the ark and relinquished our hearts. Our souls and bodies left behind were reborn right here in this lab as 'Nobodies'." His voice got more emotional. "At first I was driven solely by pride in my research. Master Ansem wanted to study the darkness to prevent it from destroying our world. I thought Xehanort was trying to carry on that legacy, so I supported him. But he was going way too far. To ensure my compliance, he and Braig threatened young Ienzo's life. I should have acted, but I was too afraid to go against them. I was so ashamed. I thought that by giving up my heart...I'd be free of the guilt and shame I felt."

"Even..." Ienzo had no idea. He had his own reasons for giving up his heart. He simply didn’t care about it. He didn’t want to feel. He was just a small child, alone and afraid.

"Xehanort used a Keyblade to relinquish his own heart," recalled Aeleus, "creating the beings you knew as 'Ansem' and 'Xemnas'."

"He banished our master to the realm of darkness using this same computer." Ienzo looked sadly at the screen, which displayed his mentor's image. "Master Ansem was a wise ruler of a peaceful world, loved by all the people. It was because of him that this town was such a paradise. And...he was like a father to me."

Sora hung his head. "Cid, Leon, Aerith, and Yuffie said he was a wise man. They all believed he died defending people from the Heartless."

"All we can do is look for a way to save him and atone for our sins," Even said solemnly.

"We have friends we want to bring back to this world, just the same as you," said Ienzo. "To do that, we have to work together."

Mickey agreed enthusiastically. "Right!"

"Master Ansem told you this data would help bring back those who've been lost, yes? So who is it that you're trying to bring back? Maybe we can help." 

"Three missing Keyblade wielders," Riku replied to Ienzo. "They vanished over a decade ago after a battle with Xehanort."

Ienzo gasped silently as he recalled Xigbar's words.

_**"How long ago was it... When a bunch of warriors wielding key-shaped swords appeared and unleashed a spectacular battle. And when it was all over, all that was left was a man lying unconscious without his memories. Xemnas—Uh, I mean Xehanort, was found by Ansem right around then, wasn't he?"** _

When he turned to face Even, he noticed that his face had become pale, even more than usual. Ienzo was well aware that Even hated _that_ place. He refused to go there, even when he urgently needed to talk to Xemnas. "Even, you don't have to go down there. I—"

"No. I have run from this for long enough."


	4. The Chambers of Repose and Waking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and company learn about Xemnas's secret and finally discover apprentice Xehanort's true identity.

An uncertain amount of time passed as Aqua and the mysterious stranger watched the tide together at the dark margin… 

Aqua took her lucky charm out of her pocket and glanced at it, as she routinely did. But this time, she was filled with a renewed sense of hope. "I have a feeling we'll both be able to go home soon."

As Ansem glanced down at her, he realized that the charm looked so familiar. After staring at it for a while, memories slowly came surging back. He realized that his apprentice Xehanort had one nearly identical to it. _Who could she possibly be?_

Suddenly, the two felt an evil presence behind them. "Who's there?" Aqua spun around, ready for trouble. _It's...him!_ _No! He's still possessed!_

The man wore a black coat with its hood down, revealing his face. He had silver hair, dark skin, gold eyes, and an aura of darkness oozed from his skin. He looked a bit different, but it was unmistakably Terra.

Ansem the Wise got to his feet as well, then gasped when he saw who it was. "You're…"

Aqua readied her fighting pose. "Terra!"

He completely ignored Aqua and addressed the other man. "Master…I must have a word with you."

 _'Master'?_ It almost reminded her of the way Terra would address Master Eraqus. _He's here for this man? Who could he possibly be?_

Ansem the Wise removed his hood and turned his deep amber eyes on his former apprentice. "'Master'? So now you mock me."

"Do you recall those experiments of the heart you bade me cease? Among the test subjects was a girl. One of the seven pure lights."

Aqua gasped slightly. 

_**"So...did you manage to locate Master Xehanort?"** _

_**"No, but it seems he's looking for pure hearts filled with light."** _

_**"Pure hearts...filled with light..."** _

Aqua had met several extraordinary young women during her journey; the princesses of heart. Cinderella had a heart that let her keep believing no matter what. And Aurora and Snow White fell into a deep slumber, but their hearts were awakened by the power of true love. All three of them inspired Aqua, and helped her to stay strong in the face of darkness.

_**"I sense light within this girl. You think that's why they attacked her?"** _

_**"Yep, I think ya might be absolutely right. If ya ask me, she must be somebody pretty extraordinary."** _

_**"Yes. I'm quite certain she's someone we're supposed to protect."** _

_The last time Terra and I fought, we were in Radiant Garden. Could that girl he's after be...?_

"You can reconstruct memories, as you did with me. And also...with Sora. But you had help that time, didn't you?" Terra-Xehanort replied as he strode toward them.

Ansem remained unperturbed. "What is your question?"

"Where is the girl?" Terra-Xehanort asked accusingly.

"What girl?"

"The witch with power over Sora's memories and those connected to him. Kairi's shadow."

_No! Then Kairi really is in danger!_

"After she escaped from Castle Oblivion, we know she was hiding with you."

**_"This place. Is it the Chamber of Waking?"  
_ **

**_"Who are you, really?"  
_ **

**_"You don’t know? My name—"  
_ **

**_"Aqua! Get back!"  
_ **

**_"Terra!"  
_ **

**_"I messed up. Xehanort is part of me. Now he's using me so you’ll tell him where you hid Ven!"_ **

_Castle Oblivion. He must still be looking for Ven inside the Chamber of Waking._

Ansem the Wise said nothing.

"Very well. If you won't tell me here…" Terra-Xehanort reached out to grab Ansem's arm, but Aqua jumped in between them and swatted his hand away. She was not holding a Keyblade.

_**"The battle for the realm of light…is not won. Thanks to Terra and Mickey, I know what's at stake. I'm not afraid. I will face the long darkness. The next time someone wanders into the realm of darkness, I'll be here. A light to cut through all the shadows. I will be their Wayfinder. And one day, I'll return to Terra and Ven. I am Master Aqua. And that’s a promise."** _

"I think you should go," Aqua said, remembering her vow to herself. She felt a strong desire to protect this stranger.

Terra-Xehanort, face-to-face with his former friend, thought back to the last time he stood here on the shores of the dark margin, the dark underside of Destiny Islands. 

_**"I've been to see him. He looks a lot like you."  
**_

He had been looking for _him_ for such a long time. And how strange to have finally found _his_ heart—no longer asleep, but fully awake inside of Sora's Nobody. Indeed, Roxas brought back so many memories, including one in particular forever engrained into Terra's heart.

_**"And the chamber?" Xemnas asked. "Have you found it?"** _

_**"No, sir. I would say progress is slow…if we were making any to speak of."** _

_**With that, Saïx sedately walked out, leaving Xemnas alone with the sleeping Roxas.** _

_**Xemnas stared down at the boy, his expression indicating the slightest bit of worry.  
** _

_**"So sleep has taken you yet again…"** _

_**If the words had reached Roxas in his dreams, the boy gave no indication.** _

It was a memory he'd nearly forgotten, until Princess Aurora's sleeping figure brought it back to the surface. Back then, he truly thought Ven would never wake up. And just like with Aurora, it was all his fault.

"I had a feeling I'd encounter my other missing 'friend' here in this prison."

"You'll never find Ven!"

Ansem the Wise had no idea what to make of this mysterious young woman, but it appeared that she had also been deceived by Xehanort. If so, she would understand his pain only too well.

"However, I wasn't expecting to find my master here as well. You are no longer of any use to us. You wait here…for the king and his fool." An enormous black shadow rose behind Xehanort and batted her away, but Aqua landed on the sand a few yards away. "Where's your Keyblade?" he taunted.

"Don't need it!" she shouted, throwing herself at the dark figure once again.

Suddenly, Ansem remembered something important. _She is missing her Keyblade? Wait. Now, I remember. There was a suit of armor and a Keyblade lying next to Xehanort when we first discovered him. Then, this girl must be—_

Aqua then sprang into the air and launched a kick at its head. Unfortunately, before she could get back to a safe distance again, the black shadow caught hold of one of her legs and held her dangling in the air. 

Ansem the Wise ran over to her. "No more! I'll go."

"You are wise," replied Terra-Xehanort with a touch of laughter in his voice.

 _If only I had my Keyblade..._ Aqua used the distraction to kick the shadow with her free leg and escape. Once she was back on the ground, she drew herself up, ready to fight again, and glared furiously at him.

"Poor thing. I mustn't leave you with nothing," he said.

Pure, near solid darkness gathered in the gaping hole in his guardian's chest, then burst out in a wave that slammed into Aqua and sent her hurtling toward the black waters of the sea.

"Ahhh!"

Ansem fell to his knees in despair as he watched his only companion plunge into the water's depths.

The lightless depths drew Aqua down, deeper and deeper, swallowing her up.

_No..._

_Kairi..._

_Terra..._

An image came to mind of a young blond boy sleeping inside Snow White’s coffin. He would never open his eyes again.

_Ven.... I'm sorry..._

She drifted down toward the bottom of the dark abyss.

* * *

Following their erasure and recompletion as humans, Dilan and Even did not awaken right away. Even after waking, they remained in bed, unable to recover as quickly as the others. Perhaps the damage was exceptionally grave. There was much the two of them needed to atone for, after all.

_**"Hey. Are the other two out cold?" asked Lea.** _

_**"Dilan and Even are conscious again but still unstable. They're resting inside," stated Aeleus as he reshelved books.** _

_**"Gotcha. Well, I guess I'll give the castle grounds a sweep." Lea made to retrace his steps and leave.** _

_**But Aeleus stopped him. "Don't. If they were back, we would have found them by now."** _

After overhearing Lea search for his friend, Dilan couldn't even bring himself to stay inside the castle. As soon as his condition stabilized, he walked outside the gates and conducted his patrol, just as he did when he was a guard. 

The garden in which he strolled was beloved by _that_ man. It was blessed with pure water, the root of life and the fragrant smell of rainbow-colored flowers in full bloom. Tending to those flowers was part of their daily routine as guards and gatekeepers. Back then, Dilan detested that task. He didn't know why he, a trained soldier, was forced to tend to a garden. He found it utterly humiliating for a man of his station and a total waste of his talents. As a loyal soldier, all he wanted was to defend his home world.

Back then, Dilan thought Ansem the Wise was a weak ruler. Far too emotional and averse to using force. Under his leadership, their peaceful paradise was sure to fall to darkness. When the Unversed showed up, he was convinced that someone powerful, unswayed by sentiment, was far more suited to rule Radiant Garden. But, perhaps, that way of thinking was mistaken.

When Ansem the Wise first discovered Xehanort lying in the central square, there was something lying next to him—a Keyblade. He’d never laid eyes on one before and was not convinced they even existed. One legend said its wielder saved the world. And Dilan was convinced that Keyblade was a sign that Xehanort was meant to save the world from the incoming darkness. However, another legend said that the Keyblade wielder wrought chaos and ruin upon the world. And it was that legend that turned out to be more accurate in the end.

Gazing at the flowers, he remembered the red rose he tried to take during his time as a Nobody. That rose was a symbol of love, but it was also cursed. After all, love is but a curse. At the time, he thought its power trivial. 

There was someone who asked him about love once. When was it?

_**"Our work here is done, Roxas. The beast's weakness is clear."** _

_**"It is?"** _

_**"To hold something dear is to let it hold you. His heart is in thrall to it, don't you see? And that, Roxas, is ample weakness."** _

_**"I'm not sure I follow."** _   
  
_**"Nor should you. You have no heart to love with."** _

_Ah, yes. It was in front of that rose_. The Beast was cursed because of that rose. And at the time, so was he, in a way, and he suspected that is what led to his destruction.

_**"What do you guys really want?!" Sora demanded.** _

_**"Kingdom Hearts," Xaldin replied plainly. "When Kingdom Hearts is ours, we can exist fully and completely. So you see, Beast, that is why we need your Heartless AND your Nobody!"** _

Those obsessive thoughts towards Kingdom Hearts left his heart a ghost, and he eventually disappeared. Being a Nobody was, in short, a curse. And thus are strong, overbearing feelings like love also a curse. Or at least, that's what he thought.

A fragrant flower rested in his boorish hands. By nature, those hands knew only the weight of a lance. But a flower was blooming in them all the same.

_I will not put it in a glass case; this flower will bloom right where it is. Now all that will remain in this town is love, as was His Lordship's dearest wish._

As he gazed down at the flower, he was haunted by a certain memory.

_Why didn't we choose to leave things as they were? All I can do now is regret having gone too far._

* * *

Earlier that day, Xehanort penned a page of his eighth report, done under Ansem's name.

_**I have built a device that artificially creates Heartless. By recreating the conditions that spawn the Heartless naturally, I should be able to produce them artificially. This device is the culmination of all my research thus far.** _

After he was finished, he walked into the computer lab and popped a disc into the console. Behind the monitor, through a window, there was a large area with dozens—maybe hundreds—of hearts held in glass containments. These hearts would be used in the upcoming experiment. "Are the preparations complete?"

Even typed six passwords onto the computer. "Yes, sir, but..." There was a distinct sound of fear in his voice. "Are you sure about this?" 

Xehanort turned to face him. "Our master wanted to solve the mystery of the darkness of the heart; to find the answers before this world was lost to those taken by the darkness. Isn't that why we began this research in the first place, Even?"

Even said nothing and couldn't even glance up from the screen.

"To achieve that goal, we must go further than he ever dared. True progress requires sacrifice. One that our master was too weak to make. And that is why we will surpass him as scientists. The only way to save this world is to unlock the mystery of the darkness of the heart."

Without another word, Xehanort and Even left the room and walked downstairs, entering the Heartless Manufactory. Xehanort stood directly before the very large round platform. Lea was already there, along with Braig. Aeleus had been ordered to stay with Ienzo and keep an eye on him, so he wasn't there.

"What do you plan to do with me!?" Lea demanded, stamping his foot.

Xehanort then turned to the boy. "Today, I will conduct an experiment that will amplify the darkness within your heart."

"...Huh?"

"To do so, I will have to take something you hold very dear."

"...W-what? What...do you mean...?" He was almost too unnerved to ask.

Just then, Dilan entered the lab, carrying Isa by the collar.

Xehanort continued speaking. "After all our studies, I believe we have finally unlocked the secrets of the Heartless. They are driven to steal hearts. It is only natural that they were drawn toward your companion. He is the one who has stolen your heart, correct?"

Lea suddenly felt his a chill run down his spine.

"Looks like we actually did find a use for you, after all. You're the perfect bait to help draw the darkness out of your little pal." Braig flashed a vicious smirk. 

Isa shot him an icy glare.

"Aww, what's with that angry face? We're gonna have so much fun."

"Please, sir, I beg you to reconsider. He's just a boy," Even pleaded. Thoughts of his beloved Ienzo immediately came to mind. "We have already lost most of our subjects! We cannot afford to lose any more!"

But Xehanort was not to be swayed. "Think of it as a test of strength. If he is to die so easily, he is of no use to us."

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear," exclaimed Dilan as he raised his lance. "It's not in my nature to hold back."

"NOOO! STOOP!" Lea shouted.

* * *

The sun was setting over a hillock deep within a forest in this special world. Beautiful flowers bloomed as far as the eye could see, reminding him of home. Here, Lea was training as a Keyblade wielder. He was sitting by himself on top of a rock when he heard someone approaching from behind. He turned around, expecting to see Merlin. But it wasn't Merlin he saw. It was—

"K-Kairi...!? Wh-what are you—" he stammered.

"I've come to train with Merlin to become a Keyblade wielder. It looks like I'm going to be your partner now."

He just stared at her, at a loss. "Listen..." He was searching for the right words, whatever those were.

_**"Anyway, I digress. Go, find Kairi. Oh, almost forgot... Sorry for what I did to her."** _

_**"When we find her, you can tell her that yourself."** _

_**"Think I'll pass. My heart just wouldn't be in it, you know? Haven't got one."** _

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm really, _really_ sorry. For everything." He lowered his head as he offered the most heartfelt apology he could muster.

_**"If it's Kairi you're worried about, don't. We're taking very good care of her."** _

_**"Let me see her."** _

_**"Is she that important to you?"** _

_**"More than anything."** _

Lea had been the one who kidnapped her back then. Horrible things had happened to her and Sora, all because of him. At least, that's how Lea saw it.

_**"Is there anything you couldn't bear to lose?"** _

_**"Anything I couldn't bear to lose? What's that about?"** _

_**"Well, I met someone today who had something like that. This thing was so important to him he couldn't bear to lose it...and Xaldin said that was his weakness."** _

He could never bring himself to tell Roxas, but he did have something he couldn't bear to lose, back when he was human.

_**"Consider yourself warned. Axel will stop at nothing to turn you into a Heartless."** _   
  
_**"Gee, thanks for looking out for us. But we can take care of ourselves just fine!"** _   
  
_**"Glad to hear it. Axel aside, it would break our hearts to hear something  
happened to you."** _

_**"Hearts? You don't have any hearts!"  
** _

_**"True**_ _**, we don't have hearts. But we remember what it was like. That's what makes us special."** _

_**"Whaddya mean?"** _

_**"We know very well how to injure a heart."** _

And when the time came, that was exactly why knew how to turn Sora into a Heartless. All he needed to do was target the one person that was most important to him. He knew how to injure a heart based on his own human memories. How could he possible face Kairi after doing such a terrible thing? He could barely even look her in the eye.

She sat down next to him. "When I was locked up in that cage, you came back for me."

It was true that after Saïx kidnapped her, Axel came back to the organization's castle. He and Saïx fought in front of her cell and Axel was mortally wounded. By the time he met up with Sora, he was on the verge of expiring, and did so soon after opening the path for him. 

"Why did you do that?" Her tone was not accusatory. Just curious.

Why _had_ he done that? He wasn't even sure he knew the answer himself. "Because... Well... Because my heart told me to, I guess?" He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

That sheepish answer seemed to satisfy Kairi, who smiled a bit. Seeing him like this, it was hard to believe she was ever afraid of him. "You know, I guess I can't really can't be _too_ mad at you." This time she sounded a bit teasing. "It was all thanks to you that I can even wield a Keyblade." 

Lea looked away. "...I-it is?" For some incomprehensible reason, it DID feel like he helped her summon a Keyblade before. But that was impossible...right? Or was it? _I'm really confused right now._

"Mm-hm. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have even left the islands."

Lea jolted a bit upon hearing that. Of _course._ He realized she was referring to his kidnapping attempt on Destiny Island. "I'm really, really sorry about that," he stammered awkwardly.

"It's okay. You don't have to keep apologizing," she gently scolded. "Really."

"Right. Sorry," he said with a shrug. Several awkward moments of silence passed. "Though, I didn't really do anything. You jumped into the darkness all on your own."

"Yeah." She giggled a tiny bit. "I guess I wanted to see Sora so badly, I forgot to be afraid. It was the same when I summoned my Keyblade."

Kairi thought back to when she leapt down from the balcony in The World That Never Was and fought the group of Heartless that were attacking Sora. All she wanted was to keep him safe, but she wasn't strong enough. Then, Riku handed her a Keyblade of her very own.

_**"You are different, Kairi, but I'm just glad you're here!"** _

_**"You and Riku never came home, so I came looking for you."** _

"I just...wanted to bring them back home."

"Well, I guess that's something we have in common." Lea sounded quiet, almost as if he were making the remark to himself.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

He sat silently and stared at his open palm, waiting just a few seconds before responding. "We both summoned Keyblades...because we have someone we want to bring back home."

"Who is that?"

"...My...best friend," he said softly, squinting under the sunset's brilliance.

* * *

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, Mickey, Ienzo, and Even all made the long trek down the spiral staircase at the heart of the castle.

As he walked, Sora thought back to his time in the Sleeping Worlds.

_**"Xemnas and Xehanort formed the Organization for a specific reason—round up a bunch of empty husks, hook them up to Kingdom Hearts, then fill them all with the exact same heart and mind. Translation—they were gonna turn all the members into Xehanort."** _

"Xehanort is trying to create a new Organization XIII. The original organization's whole purpose was to use you guys to fight in another Keyblade War. Xigbar said they were gonna hook every one of you up to Kingdom Hearts and put Xehanort's heart and mind inside of you. Did you have any idea what he was planning?"

"No. We cast off our hearts by choice, make no mistake, but we didn't know that Xemnas—or rather, Xehanort—was deceiving us," Ienzo explained softly.

"I suppose I am not entirely surprised," said Even, recalling the contents of Xehanort's reports.

_**Three elements combine to create a life: a heart, a soul, and a body. When the soul leaves the body, its vessel, life gives way to death, but what about when the heart leaves?** _

"What Xehanort wants is empty vessels. A vessel without a soul perishes, so Xehanort resorted to...other means. Nobodies were meant to be mere empty shells. And the Replica Program’s original purpose was to create mindless puppets. And before either of those, there was... Subject X..."

"Subject...X?" Sora echoed.

Mickey then came to a sudden realization. "X... Oh, you mean like X-blade!" 

Riku nodded. "Yeah. That must be it."

As they got to the bottom of the long staircase, another door opened, revealing a large white marble hallway, reminiscent of the interior of Castle Oblivion. It was dotted with individual rooms.

As the group followed Even into the hallway, Goofy began to get a bad feeling. "Gawrsh. It sure is creepy down here."

Donald couldn’t have agreed more. "Yeah, you said it."

Sora had a look around. "What is this place? Are these...prison cells?" Each cell's window was barred, and the door was sealed with dark chains and an electronic lock. It was extremely unsettling.

_**"The 'Chamber of Repose'. If you recall, that's where we spent our time researching the darkness that resides within people's hearts. It's a graveyard that was sealed by order of Ansem the Wise."** _

"This is...the Chamber of Repose."

"Repose...?" Riku wondered aloud. _Like sleep?_

Even's blood ran cold and he took a deep breath. He hadn't been down here since Ansem the Wise sealed it off all those years ago, and he never intended to return. "In truth, it is merely...a graveyard."

Noticing his unease, Ienzo put a hand on his shoulder.

Donald and Goofy jumped up simultaneously. "G-g-graveyard? Whaddaya mean?"

"Aww, phooey! I'm not scared!"

Even recalled the writings in Xehanort's second report.

**_It is my duty to expose what this darkness really is. I shall conduct the following experiments:_ **

**_-Extract the darkness from a person's heart._ **

**_-Cultivate darkness in a pure heart._ **

**_-Both suppress and amplify the darkness within._ **

**_The experiments caused the test subject's heart to collapse, including those of the most stalwart. How fragile our hearts are! My treatment produced no signs of recovery. I confined those who had completely lost their hearts beneath the castle._ **

**_Some time later, I went below and was greeted by the strangest sight. Creatures that seemed born of darkness...What are they? Are they truly sentient beings? Could they be the shadows of those who lost their hearts in my experiments?_ **

He continued explaining, his tone solemn. "After Xehanort's pilot experiments, the test subjects' hearts collapsed. Every last one of them. They were neither asleep nor unconscious. They were like dolls. Eyes open, but completely vacant."

Riku clenched his fist, having a pretty good idea how they must've looked.

_**"So, Kairi's like a lifeless puppet now?"** _

Kairi had lost her heart and wouldn’t wake up. And it was all his fault.

"After attempts to treat them failed. The 'defective' specimens were locked up here, beneath the castle, in these very cells. Before long, they contained nothing but Heartless."

Everyone gasped in horror as Even recounted a particular experiment.

* * *

Isa, a serene boy normally so calm and collected, became filled with rage as he was under attack. Lea was in danger all because of him. He couldn't bear to let his best friend become a Heartless and fought with every last bit of his strength. But an unarmed child was no match for a skilled warrior. A dark aura surrounded him, and his eyes glowed a bright yellow. He went totally berserk. Afterwards, he collapsed and fell to the floor. 

As the device activated, a heart disappeared from one of the glass containments of the Heartless Manufactory. A red circle appeared on the platform and a single Heartless appeared on top of it. It was the very first Emblem Heartless. The machine's test run turned out to be a success.

"Well, well. Didn't expect him to put up such a fight. I see how it is. You're the fire that feeds his anger. Paha-ha!" said Braig playfully, looking down at Lea. "You chose the wrong kid, Xehanort. Well, I guess it really didn't matter in the end which heart we amplified the darkness in, huh?"

Lea ignored Braig's taunting and wriggled free from his grasp. Then he ran over to his friend, instantly falling to his knees. He stared down helplessly at the boy, who wore nothing but a dazed stare. "Isa! ISA!! Are you okay!?"

Xehanort walked over, too, and looked down at the collapsed child. He recognized that look after seeing it so many times before. Isa's eyes were open, but his expression was totally blank and lifeless. He looked like a doll or an empty puppet. It was the same as the pilot test subjects. There was no doubt about it; the boy's heart had collapsed.

"There is nothing you can do for it."

Lea turned a furious glare on Xehanort and shouted, "He's not an 'IT'!"

But Xehanort, clinical and detached as ever, only spared Lea a downward glance. "Can't you see? That specimen is a failure. It is broken. Defective."

Lea took one more look at Isa, whose eyes slowly closed. _  
_

"It will not wake up."

Lea continued to stare at Isa's still sleeping face. It was so pale. _He won't ever wake up...? Never...?_ He felt his heart plunge to the bottom of his stomach. His anger turned to fear, far deeper than any he'd experienced in his life. _This is all my fault... If I hadn't talked Isa into sneaking inside the castle, this never would have happened..._ Tears began to well up in his eyes.

Xehanort stepped on an area of the floor and it glowed, causing a large section of the floor to open up, revealing a long spiral staircase. "Take it to the Chamber of Repose before it becomes a Heartless." 

"WHAT!? NOOOO! DON'T!" the tearful Lea shouted, reaching out his hand.

* * *

"At first we thought his heart had collapsed, like all the others, and he was locked up here. But this boy was quite unique. Unlike all the others, he never become a Heartless. However, he remained still and lifeless, completely lacking any self-awareness. I could not understand why, but Xehanort developed a rather perverse interest in him."

"He was his lab rat," Riku stated cynically.

Even affirmed with a nod.

After hearing the story, Sora remembered something.

 _**"Once born, the heart can also be nurtured. Our experiments creating** _ _**Heartless were attempts to control the mind and convince it to renounce its sense of self. But understand, one can banish the heart from the body, but the body will try to replace it the first chance it gets, for as many times as it takes."** _

He told the others about what Xemnas said in the Sleeping Worlds.

Riku pensively stroked his chin. "So, when the soul exits the body, a person dies. And you can't completely banish the heart from the body, either. But a person without a mind of their own... Someone like that would make a perfect vessel."

Things were starting to make sense now. Once his heart left his body, Xehanort's Heartless self was trying to gather the seven lights, the princesses of heart. And his Nobody self was looking for thirteen vessels to fill with darkness—Organization XIII. And it all began with Ansem the Wise's experiments.

Mickey felt something stirring inside. "That must be why Master Xehanort decided to became an apprentice in the first place. He wanted to use Ansem the Wise’s knowledge of the heart to figure out how to turn someone into his vessel. When his sleeping memories awakened, he began his experimentation."

Even continued staring at the cell Subject X was kept in. "After Master Ansem discovered what had happened, he blamed himself. He immediately sealed off this chamber, then ordered we destroy the results of our research and release all the prisoners. Seeing his condition, he desperately wished to help Subject X and took him away to another world." 

"Another world?" Riku asked.

"I remember when I first met him, he sure was down on himself," Mickey recalled. "He was worried about the stability of the worlds. So I gave him my Star Shard. That way he could travel between worlds if he ever needed to."

 _I feel really bad for him,_ Sora thought. _All of this happened because he tried to help Xehanort._

"It must have been incredibly painful for Master Ansem to learn what became of Subject X after his banishment," Even lamented.

"Hold on a sec," Riku said. "Does that mean Subject X was part of the original Organization XIII? And DiZ found out about it?"

"Yes. After he was taken away, Xehanort was able to reclaim him and branded him with a large X-shaped scar on his forehead. He was the first to join after the founding members and became Xemnas's right hand man."

Ienzo finally realized how Saïx had been able to worm his way so deeply into Xemnas's bosom. _Another Xehanort...No wonder I couldn't compete with him.._

"After that, his friend, the other victim of that hideous experiment, joined the organization, too. I can only surmise that he wished remain by his friend's side. Number VII Saïx, and number VIII Axel."

"WHAT!?" Sora, Donald, and Goofy all recoiled in unison.

Mickey could barely believe it, either. "Then, you mean—? Oh, no. Lea..."

Sora put a hand to his heart. The pain he felt was raw and sharp. _Lea... He was...one of the test subjects..._

Though it made perfect sense in hindsight, Ienzo had no idea. As the youngest apprentice, he was lied to about Ansem the Wise's disappearance, and he was also lied to about Axel and Saïx. He was told they were junior apprentices like him. They supposedly showed up at the front gate mere days before Master Ansem left and asked to study the heart. He'd never seen them in the labs, though, and always thought their story was far-fetched.

Even remembered how Axel had been the one to destroy him, back in Castle Oblivion. "Yes, I'm afraid so. Lea was a resident of Radiant Garden. It was our duty to protect children like him. But he was one of our many victims. When we were recompleted, I...wished to apologize to him. But when I learned that his friend was still missing, I could not bring myself to face him. Even after waking, I remained in bed."

Ienzo had never seen such an emotional side of Even before.

Just then, Goofy realized something. "Lea must want to save his friend. That's why he came to the castle and asked if he could become a Keyblade wielder."

_**"Absolutely not!"** _

Donald felt a bit guilty, remembering his response to Lea's request at Yen Sid's Tower.

Sora had a hard time digesting all this new information. _Lea and his friend were just innocent kids before they became organization members. They were no older than me and Riku are now._ "I remember how vicious Saïx was. But before he disappeared, he was begging for his heart. I felt bad for him. Axel, too. He seemed so lonely. He told me...he wanted to see Roxas one last time."

"I guess all he wanted was...just to get his best friend back..." Riku had clashed with Saïx before. He knew he was the one tasked with hunting Axel down as a traitor to the organization. _Sticking by his friend even after he became possessed and turned on him... Lea must be a lot like Sora._

"When Xemnas ordered me to spearhead the Replica Program, I was relieved. I never wanted to be involved in human experimentation ever again. But...the program turned out to be a failure. The replicas were not quite as empty as Xemnas had planned. Even a replica is capable of developing a sense of self. They are capable of feeling, no different to you or I." Even knew he had deeply hurt the Riku Replica and felt ashamed. "I have committed such sins. But you, Sora, may finally be able to set things right. I know Master Ansem thought so, too."

Sora was beginning to feel the weight of everyone's expectations. "So, um, what is it you wanted to show us?"

Ienzo stepped forward and opened the door. "Here. This room."

_**"The first thing Xemnas did once he got rid of him was to undo the seal and build a room in the back. Ever since then, he holes himself up in that room when he can, and he talks to someone. But who? For all I know, he’s the only one in that room."** _

Inside the vacated room was a large throne, with black chains extending out from it.

"Xemnas used to lock himself in here constantly and talk to someone," explained Ienzo, as he walked to the back of the room. "No doubt to whoever _these_ belonged to."

Sora noticed something lying on the floor next to Ienzo. "Is that—?"

"A suit of armor and...a Keyblade?" Riku finished his question for him.

Mickey stood there, stunned. "No. It can't be—!"

Goofy noticed his expression. "King Mickey?"

"Have you seen these before, Your Majesty?" asked Donald.

Sora was a bit concerned now. "Yeah, what's up?"

"These are Master Aqua's!"

"What!?" The trio shouted in unison.

However, Riku remained calm. He knelt down and took a closer look. "Mickey, are you absolutely sure?"

"Yup, I'm positive! After the battle with Master Xehanort, I found her in the Lanes Between; she was wearing this same armor. And I know this was her Keyblade!"

Ienzo folded his arms and furrowed his brow.

 _ **"What new facility? Oh, you mean Castle Oblivion.**_ _**What does Xemnas plan on doing with that place anyway"**_

_**"He already shared his intentions with us."** _

_**"But did you know there's something he didn't share? The 'Chamber of Repose' is part of a pair. The 'Chamber of Waking' is the other. Another graveyard, if you want to call it that. It was constructed by someone other than Xemnas himself. And that's where he'll find it... That's where he'll find his other 'friend'."** _

"So, this 'Aqua' was in the Chamber of Repose. Then the other 'friend' must be inside the Chamber of Waking, located in Castle Oblivion."

"Other friend?" Mickey realized what that meant. "Wait! You mean you know where Ventus is!?"

But Ienzo shook his head. "No. And unfortunately, I don't think you're going to be able to find him. Xemnas has been looking for the Chamber of Waking ever since we all first became Nobodies."

Riku heaved a sigh. "Castle Oblivion is like an endless labyrinth. So, it's no surprise, I guess."

"That's why he was trying to get Aqua to tell him. He was communicating with her while she was in the realm of darkness." Mickey took one more look at the armor and Keyblade. "I guess she really is our only hope of finding him."

* * *

While Sora, Donald, and Goofy went to inform Merlin of their new information, Dilan led Riku and Mickey into the courtyard.

"This was the spot," said Dilan. "A stranger with white hair was lying unconscious here in the square—a man calling himself 'Xehanort'. And lying next to him was the suit of armor and Keyblade."

"So, this is where Aqua fell into the realm of darkness after she dove in to save Terra?" Riku asked Mickey, taking in the sights around them.

"It must be." Mickey mused. "This is where...she sacrificed herself for him..."

Dilan’s eyes narrowed slightly. _Just like His Lordship..._

_**"Love? What's that?"** _

_**"It's an emotion. The one deluding those two as we speak."** _

_**"Oh..."** _

_**"They think the power of love will save them? That's the stuff of poetry, not practicality."** _

_**"Love is a power?"** _

_**"None you or I will ever grasp. Nor will they, for long. The love between them will wither and die. Love never lasts."** _

_I see. That is true power of love..._

"But then, what happened to Terra? I thought you said that Aqua saved him." Riku mulled over the facts they had so far. Is this where Terra vanished…? Something didn't fit.

Mickey had noticed the problem, too, but he was starting to put the pieces together. "Yep, she did. The problem is we didn't notice. You remember the end of the Mark of Mastery exam, when Master Xehanort made his grand return? That's the Xehanort I remember. He was already a pretty old man then."

_Oh, I remember. The bald old man— He was creepy._

"But how do you explain Ansem and Xemnas, his Heartless and Nobody? Isn't it strange how young they look? Why aren't _they_ old men?”

"I thought it was because Xehanort could transcend time."

Mickey shook his head. "No. It's because Xehanort was using a different body when the split happened. It wasn't just some stranger Ansem the Wise took under his wing. It was the young man whose body Xehanort had possessed."

Riku realized what Mickey was trying to say. "No way! That was Terra? Master Xehanort was using Terra?" He thought about it for a few seconds, then gasped. "Wait! That face from the portrait—It really IS him!"

Mickey started speaking faster as everything fell into place. "Yep. Xemnas had two 'friends' inside the Chamber of Waking and the Chamber of Repose. And Master Xehanort told us 'another on our list' belonged to him. He was talking about Terra. Turns out, Aqua saved more than just her friend that day."

If he was right about all this, then that would explain everything—except for one unanswered question.

"Wait! Master Xehanort is an old man again now. Where did Terra's body go?"

"Hmm… It's 'cause Master Xehanort's collecting vessels! He claimed to have two of our seven lights."

Master Xehanort had indeed said as much during their encounter in the Sleeping Worlds, and one of the two he mentioned turned out to be Sora.

Meaning…

Mickey couldn't hide his shock at the conclusion. "We got Sora back, but Terra must still be on Xehanort's side."

"He's with Organization XIII?" Riku looked downcast.

Was Master Xehanort still on the hunt for his thirteen vessels? Or had he found them all already?

Riku and Mickey had finally discovered a clue to Terra’s whereabouts, at least, and they shared a grim nod. Now, they had to report back to Master Yen Sid.


	5. The Way to Find Strength

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Sora heads to Olympus, Riku and Mickey travel to the dark realm. Mickey must use the power of waking on Riku, helping him to finally face his fears.

Back at the Mysterious Tower, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Mickey all stood in front of Yen Sid. 

"I see. So, at last, we have a clue to Terra's whereabouts," said Yen Sid as he beheld the remnants of the missing Keyblade Master, which rested on the table, next to the skull candle.

Mickey's voice was rather low and solemn. "Xehanort is most likely using his body as a vessel."

That was something they had in common. Riku hung his head shamefully, though the others were too distracted to notice.

"We finally know what happened. Aqua dove into the realm of darkness to retrieve Terra. But he was the only one who made it back out. He was already possessed by Xehanort, though. She was...too late."

Yen Sid furrowed his brow after being informed of the whole story from Mickey. To think that Terra has been a vessel all this time. However, there was still some hope. Aqua dove into realm of darkness in order to retrieve Terra and actually managed to bring him back to the realm of light. This scenario sounded somewhat familiar, actually. It gave the old wizard had an idea on how to help Sora regain his lost power of waking. 

"In order to defeat Xehanort, there are allies we must gather, acting now to rouse them from their slumber. We have discussed this before, Sora."

The group listened carefully, and Sora remembered the original purpose of the exam.

"Your Mark of Mastery exam was conducted in the hopes that you would acquire the power to wake them. However, the darkness nearly took control of you, and your grasp of your new abilities leaves much to be desired."

Sora's head drooped in dejection. The master was right—because of Organization XIII's plotting, Sora had fallen into a Sleeping World close to the darkness and had been consumed. He didn't retrieve the great power he was supposed to.

"Furthermore, Xehanort nearly made you his vessel, and in the process stripped you of most of the power you had gained by then. I suspect you have already noticed this, correct?"

Sora swallowed hard. Donald and Goofy looked over at him with concern.

"Sora…" the two of them said worriedly.

But Sora's head snapped up. "Whatever!" he chirped. "Happens all the time."

Every time he had temporarily lost his powers—back in the Sleeping Worlds, Castle Oblivion, and when he woke in the old mansion—he had eventually made his way back to full strength with the help of his friends. He knew things would work out this time, too.

"Yes. Chip and Dale are currently working with the former apprentices, analyzing data that Ansem the Wise provided to Riku, which could offer us a clue to retrieving our friends' lost hearts. I have very high hopes for this data. However, our greatest chance of stopping Xehanort's plan still lies with you, Sora. If you trust the guidance your heart gives, I know we will find all of the guardians of light."

Sora nodded once. Seven guardians—and seven princesses. These sources of light had always protected the worlds, and they would need to keep doing so for some time to come.

"But first, you must regain all the strength you have lost. Perhaps it is foolish to expect a complete recovery, but it is absolutely vital you perfect one power—the power of waking, which you failed to master during your exam."

 _The power of waking_ , Sora thought to himself. It was the first time he'd heard it be given a formal name.

_**"If we are ever to strike down Xehanort, we need the individuals King Mickey spoke of in his letter. We must lead them out of sorrow and slumber, and back to our world. To do so, seven Sleeping Keyholes must be found and unlocked, and a great power retrieved."** _

That must've been the new ability he was supposed to unlock after sealing the seven Sleeping Keyholes. A rare and special ability only used by Keyblade masters. It was the power that allowed Riku to awaken his heart after he almost became the thirteenth dark vessel. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like he had acquired that special power.

"But...how? Do you have any ideas?"

"The power of waking already exists inside of you, Sora."

"It...does?"

"There's someone who lost his strength and found it again, a true hero to whom you ought to pay a visit. Perhaps he can point you in the right direction."

The moment Sora heard the word _hero_ , his face lit up. He knew whom that meant, and he briefly mimicked him by flexing his muscles and striking cool poses. "Got it," he replied with a reverent nod.

"Master Yen Sid…"

Donald took a step forward, and Goofy did the same.

"You can count on us to take care of Sora!"

"I would have it no other way. I put Sora in your hands."

After the sorcerer granted his approval, Sora put his arms around his friends' shoulders. "Donald! Goofy!"

The two beamed at Sora's excitement.

"You can't become a master without us!"

"Huh?" Sora said unhappily. _I mean, he's right, but—!_

"I never woulda thought you'd fail that exam, Sora," Goofy commented regretfully.

Sora promptly removed his arms from his friends' shoulders. "Hey!"

Donald and Goofy weren't through with their grumpy friend yet, though. "Face it, you're just a half-pint."

"But the three of us together make a whole pint!"

"Pint an' a half," Sora insisted with exasperation. But this was how they always were.

"We'll keep an eye on you!" Donald stuck out his hand.

"Oh, this is gonna be lots of fun!" Goofy placed his own hand on Donald's.

"It's not a vacation," Sora said, but he added his hand, too. The three of them grinned.

"Let's go!" They shared a look, then turned back to face Yen Sid.

"Count on us!"

The sorcerer nodded, and they could tell his hopes for them were high.

Yen Sid then turned his attention to Riku and Mickey. "As true Keyblade masters, the two of you have both acquired the power of waking, unlike Sora."

The pair nodded.

"I know it is dangerous, but I would like you to try and discern Aqua's location."

Mickey recalled his conversation with Aqua back when he first encountered her in the dark realm.

 _**"Turns out, it's not so easy getting into the realm of darkness. The points you can cross have become unstable. It's only when a** _ _**world gets consumed that an entrance appears in the realm between. So I waited for my chance to sneak in."** _

On his previous journey, the stars were blinking out one-by-one as the worlds were being consumed. So, after meeting Leon, he waited in Traverse Town—in the realm between—for an entrance to show up. And it did, not long after Sora met Donald and Goofy for the first time. Of course, the worlds were safe now. So, Mickey knew he couldn't get in that way anymore. Fortunately, his time in Radiant Garden offered him a lead.

"C'mon, Riku. It's time for us to go. First, we gotta find an entrance to the realm of darkness." The king walked toward the door to the chamber, eager to depart, while Riku started after him.

Yen Sid wasn't quite finished, though. "Mickey, take these along with you. The three good fairies asked that you be presented with them. They are new vestments that will shield the both of you from the darkness."

The sorcerer held his hand over his desk, and two rectangular cases appeared in a burst of light. There was a small brown one for Mickey and a blue one for Riku. The two took their bags and thanked the master, then looked at each other and nodded.

"Okay, let's go!" Mickey said with fire.

* * *

Riku and Mickey stood in a particular room, located in the hidden basement of Radiant Garden's castle, not far from the Chamber of Repose. They were wearing the new outfits they had received from Yen Sid. Their pants had matching checkers at the cuffs, but Mickey's pants were red where Riku's were blue. Their jackets also had a similar design, complete with hoods for concealing their faces.

Riku looked at the large white and ornately designed door in front of him. It looked similar to a particular door he'd seen before, actually. "So, this is it?"

"Yup. When Xehanort first began the experiments and drew the Heartless here, two doors appeared in Radiant Garden," explained Mickey. "One was in the Grand Hall; that was the one that led to the heart of _all_ worlds, and it could only be opened by the Keyblade formed from the hearts of the seven princesses."

Riku remembered that door only too well.

_**"There are seven maidens of the purest heart. We call them the Princesses of Heart. Gather them together, and a door will open to the heart of all worlds. Within lies untold wisdom… There, you will surely find a way to recover Kairi's heart."** _

Maleficent was dead set on opening it and manipulated him in order to do so.

"There was also this one," the King said, looking up at the door.

**_To study the Heartless behavior, I picked one out for observation. It wiggled its antennae and, as if sensing a target, headed deep into the castle. In the deepest part of the castle, its antennae began vibrating, as if searching for something. Suddenly, a strange door appeared. I'd never known of its existence._ _It had a large keyhole, but didn't seem to be locked. So I opened the door. What I saw on the other side mystified me. What was that powerful mass of energy? That night I observed a great meteor shower in the sky. Could it be related to the door that I have opened?_**

"It's the door Xehanort first opened, leading to the heart of _this_ world." King Mickey folded his arms, recalling the contents of Ansem the Wise's _true_ reports.

_**That fool of an apprentice! Only one mystery remains: How did Xehanort manage to open the door that appeared in the basement of my castle…?** _

_**But no…it is useless to posit any theories now, when everything is so close to the conclusion. King Mickey, my friend. I believe that in due course you will come across these records—my truthful accounts. How I wish I could have spoken with you again when circumstances were better. I have been a fool, obsessed with revenge. Forgive me.** _

"Ansem the Wise wasn't sure _how_ he was able to open it, though."

Riku recalled a certain fateful day with pain in his voice. "When the Destiny Islands were consumed, there was a really bad storm. When I stood in front of the door to darkness, I....I summoned the Keyblade for the first time. Xehanort must have done the same thing."

"But in the rest of his reports, he had no idea what the Keyblade even _was_."

Riku shook his head. "Maybe his memories were so messed up that he didn't even _remember_ summoning his Keyblade and opening the door. Remember, there were still two personalities fighting for control inside of him. Terra's and Xehanort's." He thought back to the time he spent with DiZ. He remembered his piercing orange eyes, the same color as Xemnas's. "And after Ansem the Wise meddled inside his heart, who knows what effect that had on his memories."

"You're probably right. His memories were a mess. When Xehanort began calling himself 'Ansem', there might have been a part of him that actually believed it."

Mickey turned his attention back to the door.

**_Opening the door to a world's heart causes its walls to crumble._ _These fragments are seen as shooting stars._ _This explains why these "gummi blocks" can travel freely to other worlds._ _I know the catalyst of this collapse—the appearance of the Heartless. However, it will take time search out the worlds' doors and to retrieve each heart._ _Furthermore, the doors can be locked using a Keyblade, making the heart forever unattainable. I must take action before the wielder of the key appears in this world._ **

"Xehanort was trying to find the Keyblade wielder, so he could prevent the other worlds' doors from being sealed shut. In that case, this door was never sealed. Which means..."

"We can enter the realm of darkness from here," Riku finished for him. But he seemed reluctant. "But how will we get back?"

But now that they actually had a way in, Mickey wasn't worried. "Don't worry. There's always a door to the light. When we closed the Door, we were able to make it back, weren't we? Remember my request to ya back in Castle Oblivion, Riku?"

_Yeah. I do. I'd never forget._

**_"I can only send a bit of my power to this place. That's why I've got a request for ya."_ **

**_"Request?"_ **

**_"Listen, Riku. Just because darkness holds you, don't let go of who you are. You've got to fight the darkness inside you! It won't be easy to do, I know. But please don't forget. Even in the darkest darkness, there's always a little bit of light."_ **

**_"Light within darkness..."_ **

**_"You and I have seen it. The far welcoming light inside the door to darkness... The light of Kingdom Hearts—it will show you the way. Please don't give up. Believe in the light. That's a request from my heart."_ **

Riku managed a little smile and nodded at his friend. With Mickey by his side, he'd be okay.

And that was how the two of them ended up in the Dark World.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sora went to Olympus and reunited with Hercules.

"So, Sora, is there a reason you guys are visiting? I'm guessing it's not just for the cheese and olives," Herc asked, sensing something out of the ordinary.

"Oh yeah!" Sora exclaimed as he remembered his mission.

"It sounds like somebody forgot," Donald teased.

"That's Sora," said Goofy.

"I just…took my time remembering," Sora said back to his friends, then turned to look at Hercules. "Herc, I came here so I could ask you something."

"Ask me?"

"Yeah. Do you remember the last time we were together? You were feeling down and out. Then suddenly you had this _incredible_ power. It all happened when you jumped into the Underworld and saved Meg. How'd you do it?"

Sora gazed at his hands. Hercules had once been robbed of his might due to one of Hades's schemes. If Herc had successfully come back from that, and was even able to save Meg, then surely he knew something that could help Sora with his own plight. _He must have the secret to unlocking the power of waking._

"Hmm… That's tough." Hercules paused in thought for a moment. He remembered that day well.

_**"I owe you one, Hades. I didn't hesitate to give my life for** **Meg's. And then, I remembered:** **A true hero is measured by the strength of his heart.** **I'll never forget that again."**_

"All I know is that she was in trouble. Suddenly, I wanted to save her with all my heart, but…it's not like I could tell you how."

He did his best to explain his actions back then, but even he wasn't certain what the key to his recovery really was.

Maybe Sora's magic cure to wasn't going to be that easy to find after all. "Oh man." He sighed, dejected.

"What's wrong?" Herc asked.

"All my strength is gone. And also, a really important power I was supposed to gain. That's why I need you—because I was hoping you might have a solution, or something."

"I'm sorry, Sora."

* * *

Riku kept a cautious eye on their surroundings as he walked slowly forward. He had been down here two times in the past: once when he closed the Door to Darkness, and then again when he found himself here with Sora.

"Do you need a break? We can stop," Mickey asked, turning to Riku when he noticed his comrade lagging behind. _Riku seems a little distracted..._

"Oh. No. It's just… I've been here. I should know this place. Mickey, does any of this look familiar?"

Mickey's head swiveled back and forth. "Sort of, but the realm of darkness has changed since I was here with Aqua."

"Yeah, it's different from what I remember," Riku agreed. He didn't recognize any of this from his first and second visits. The realm of darkness was huge, though, and any new worlds it had taken could have changed its appearance.

"Usually, I'd just follow my heart, and Aqua would show me the way." Mickey started walking. There was a serious look in his eyes as he gazed off into the distance. "But the closer I get, the hazier our connection feels. Either way, we can't give up hope," Mickey reminded him, turning around.

Riku gave him a nod. "Yeah," he said, following him.

It was easy to let your mind wander in the constant murk of this world, and the two of them continued in silence. After seeing the same unchanging view for so long, you might start to think it would never end.

 _If Aqua's been lost in here all by herself this whole time, I can only imagine how alone she must feel. Even a Heartless would be a welcome sight._ The sheer loneliness of this place was crushing. But at least Riku had Mickey with him.

Suddenly the landscape opened up, and the sound of waves reached their ears. It was a beach in the dusky gloom. A hazy light hung over the water in the distance. Perhaps it was a setting sun; perhaps a moon.

"This beach…" Riku murmured in spite of himself. He had been here before.

"It's gone," Mickey whispered, and Riku looked at him curiously.

"Huh?"

"I was positive Aqua was here. But now…her trail's gone dim."

"I've been here, too. With Sora," Riku told him. They had arrived here together after defeating Xemnas.

"Really?"

"This is where we found our way back to the realm of light. Hey, maybe Aqua did, too!" Hope began rising in his chest. _Back then, Sora and I sat here and talked through some things—really important things—and then that letter took us back to the realm of light. Maybe something similar happened to Aqua—_

However, Mickey shook his head sadly. "Aqua…has fallen into an even darker abyss—somewhere I can't see her. And I don't think we're equipped to dive any deeper than we are," he said, gazing out over the water.

"So then…"

"I think we need to go back to Master Yen Sid's tower so we can report and regroup."

"But Aqua's still down here, alone." Riku slowly approached the edge of the water and became quiet.

**_"This world is perfect for me. If this is what the world really is...just this, then maybe I should fade back into darkness."_ **

**_"Riku..."_ **

**_"If the world is made of light and darkness... We'll be the darkness."_ **

_The last time I was here, I had Sora. It was only because of him that I made it out. By myself, I'm sure I would have lost hope and faded back into darkness. But Aqua had no one. Maybe she decided to fade back into darkness..._

"What if she's feeling as scared and alone as I felt when I came here? How long are we supposed to keep her waiting in this awful place?" he said, staring out across the sea. 

There was agitation in his voice and Mickey walked up alongside him, hoping to ease his anxiety.

But then, as if drawn to Riku, a pack of Heartless sprouted up from the ground.

"Oh no!" Mickey recognized this large swarm from his time here previously. 

"What?!"

The pair summoned their Keyblades, but they were already surrounded.

"Riku…be careful. This is the same Heartless that Aqua and I fought back then."

 _So, this thing is the reason she's still trapped here?_ "I got it." Riku tightened his grip on his Keyblade at Mickey's warning.

The Heartless swarmed together in a gigantic black tornado, then went on the attack. They were honing in on Riku in particular. He sprang right into the middle of the mass of creatures and started fighting them off with his Keyblade.

Meanwhile, Mickey used magic to break the horde apart. "It's not over. Be careful!"

"Oh no!" Just as Riku landed on the ground, a wave of Shadows crashed down on him from behind and completely swallowed him up.

"Riku!"

After a short time of Mickey fighting it off, the tornado spit Riku out on the sand and he landed flat on his back. Mickey ran to his side and shook him. "Riku! Are you okay!? Riku!"

But he wouldn't wake up. He wasn't simply unconscious. He was in a deep, deep sleep.

"Oh no... I think that Heartless might have taken his heart." Mickey knew he had no choice. If Riku's heart was being dragged into the abyss, there was no time to waste. He pointed his Keyblade at his sleeping friend, and summoned a portal beside him. Then, he disappeared, diving into Riku's heart.

* * *

Riku was floating in dark water—an abyss of perfect blackness. He couldn't breathe.

There was a voice, far off in the distance.

Riku opened his eyes in the water. He couldn't see who was speaking.

_This voice—whose is it...?_

He could sense whoever was there with him wavering slightly. "Who are you?" he asked.

_Me? I'm…_

Riku ran out of air before he could hear the rest of the reply.

* * *

Trapped in a nightmare, Riku relived the night of the storm…

While Sora sat in his bedroom waiting for his mom to make dinner, Riku did the same in his own room. However, unlike Sora, his mood was low. He was lying on top of his bed and stared at the ceiling, deep in thought.

_Tomorrow is finally the day..._

Sora's room was always cluttered with clothes and toys strewn about. There was a toy boat hanging from the ceiling. It was like a little kid's room. On the other hand, Riku's room was extremely functional and basic. His blue and white uniform was hanging in the closet. There was a desk in the corner with all his books and school supplies neatly laid out. He needed to keep up with the summer homework, after all. Soon, summer vacation would be over and he would have to attend his usual classes again. Unlike Sora, Riku's parents always put a lot of pressure on him to keep up with his studies.

_It's the same old thing every single day. Get up early, study, go to bed. Rinse and repeat. No time to even go out to the island and have a sword fight._

But that's just what growing up was all about. Or at least that's what his parents always told him. If there were other worlds out there, why did he have to end up on _this_ one?

A deep sense of pressure had been building in Riku's chest. _Maybe once we set sail, this feeling will go away._

He thought back to the picture on the cave wall.

_Though, it wouldn't surprise me if Sora would prefer if it was just the two of them...him and Kairi._

His eyes absently turned towards the window. There were thick, dark storm clouds forming in the sky. "A storm?" He stepped out onto the balcony of his room. The winds were howling and it was truly raining hard. Maybe harder than he'd ever seen before. _I'd better go make sure the raft doesn't float away._

He darted outside and quickly got into one of the little boats that was docked on the shore of the main island. _Maybe I'll see that guy again_ , he half-joked to himself.

_**"Hey. Did you come from the outside world?"** _

_**"Huh? Why would you say that?"** _

_**"Because nobody lives out here, and I know you're not from the main island."** _

_**"Smart kid. So how about you? What are you doing here?"** _

_**"Oh, my friend's dad took us out on the boat. This is where we like to play, but they won't let us row out here by ourselves, not till we get older."** _

Riku stepped onto the shore of the islet. Back when he was little, he wasn't allowed to come here by himself. Now he was all grown up. But he realized that his parents viewed it as a kiddy place. They assumed that one day _—_ soon, preferably _—_ he'd outgrow the little playground and the childish games he played here. 

He was running through the driving rain, trying to get his mind off of everything. That was when he noticed that a great big door had appeared in front of the secret spot. _What's a door doing there…?_ he thought, and just then, someone whispered to him—

_"You want to see other worlds, don't you?"_

"Who's there!?" _It's that same voice again!_

Riku opened the large white in front of the secret spot and entered the cave. It was the same as ever. He approached the other door—the one in the back of the wall with the Keyhole. Ever since he was small, it was something that only he could see.

Then, the voice spoke again.

_"The Door will soon open. You have nothing to fear. There is no need to fear the darkness. Now, go… Riku."_

_No need to fear...the darkness...? What does that mean?_ _What's going on!?_ He stared at the Keyhole for a while. 

_**"Is there some reason you're interested in the outside world?"** _

_**"Yeah. I wanna be strong one day. Like that kid who left. He went to the outside world— I bet he's really strong now."** _

_This must be how he left, too. This is exactly what I always wanted. If I don't...nothing will ever change._

With that thought in mind, a strange blade was summoned in his hand. Riku looked down at the golden key. _This—! It's the same kind of blade as_ his _._

After summoning the key-shaped sword, Riku's hesitation disappeared. Nothing could hold back his longing to see the outside world. Almost instinctively, he pointed his blade at the door. A beam of light shot out of it and connected with the Keyhole, and the door glimmered. It was now unlocked.

"Riku!" Kairi must have come to the islet with the raft in mind, too. She came running up to him.

_"…cess…art."_

"…What?"

The mysterious voice said something, but he couldn't hear it over the pounding waves. 

"Riku, what are you doing here!? The raft'll get washed away!"

"Never mind the raft, Kairi! There's another way to go to the outside world!"

"Huh?" She stared at him, looking confused. "What about Sora?"

_Right. Because Kairi only ever thinks of Sora. But I was always the same way. When Sora and I were together as kids, we could go anywhere when we grew up. I really believed that. I still do._

"Sora and Kairi can come, too, can't they?" he said to the voice.

But this time, there was no response.

"Hey, Riku… What was that about…?" She wasn't sure who he was talking to. "And what's that you're holding?"

It was raining so hard by then that he could hardly make out Kairi's expression. Riku placed his hand on the Door and pushed it open. Instantly, a huge burst of darkness sprang forth.

He found himself standing on the bridge over the inlet. What had he been thinking then, gazing out at the blackened sea? He couldn't even remember. The next thing he knew, he was standing in front of Sora. He came worrying about the raft, too.

"Where's Kairi? I thought she was with you!"

 _Of course. The first thing he says to me is about her._ "The door has opened..." Riku told him.

"What?" He stopped in his tracks. Riku was looking at him strangely.

"The door is open, Sora. Now we can go to the outside world!"

"What are you talking about? We gotta find Kairi!"

Sora was only ever thinking about Kairi. And Kairi was only ever thinking about Sora. But maybe now that would change. "Kairi's coming with us!" Riku shouted.

Sora was a little shaken by his demeanor.

"Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again." Maybe it was horrible of him, but Riku wasn't really swayed by any strong emotion when he said that. He knew he was ready. "There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!" He reached out his hand for Sora. 

"…Riku?" Sora looked just a little bit nervous as he tried to take his hand.

Riku had no idea what was happening around him right then. He never even glanced at the darkness swallowing him up. All he cared about was that Sora was right there, and that he was reaching for him. Just a little bit more and he would make it.

When Riku came to, he was standing on a floating islet. Everything was in ruins, and pieces of the island were getting sucked into a black vortex in the sky. He looked at the wasteland in horror. "What!? What happened!? Where is everyone!? Sora!? Kairi!?" But his friends were nowhere to be seen. 

He was trying his best to stay calm. He only took a few steps when he felt a presence nearby. And behind him was a mysterious man in a brown hood. As he turned around, the hooded man lifted his arm and pointed at him.

It took a split second for it to sink in, but a warm smile formed on Riku's face, as if he were seeing an old friend again. _I knew it. That voice. It WAS you. I get it now. The darkness is here. You've come to show me how to obtain the strength I need._

A pitch-black darkness unfurled behind him. Darkness was covering his body…but there was no need to be afraid of it! At that moment, he closed his eyes with a calm heart, accepting the darkness into his heart. And then…covered in blackness…everything went dark…

* * *

"Hercules!" everyone cried in unison.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the citizens he had saved all gazed at the rubble of the building with apprehension. It might have only been a few minutes—maybe even a few seconds—but for everyone there, it felt like an eternity.

But then…

Hercules slowly emerged from the clouds of dust and smoke.

"You scared us!" Sora cried with relief.

"It's nothing. That's what _these_ are for.” Hercules flexed, striking his trademark macho pose.

Elated that Herc was okay, Donald and Goofy struck their own heroic poses.

But then a Corridor of Darkness opened beyond the fading haze. "Oh, wow! Very nice, full marks." A man in a black coat stood clapping his hands in an exaggerated show of praise.

"Go away!" Donald shouted at the unexpected guest.

"No Organization!" Goofy added.

The man had a long ponytail streaked with white, a patch covering one eye, and a scar on his cheek—this was Xigbar, the former Number 2 of the Organization. "All this altruism is giving me the warm and fuzzies. So then, does having a heart of light come with an extremely good insurance policy?"

"Just say what you mean." Sora called his Keyblade. He wasn't a fan of the mocking tone.

"Oh, but I did, though," Xigbar retorted. He wasn't through making cynical remarks. "No good will ever come from putting other people first."

"I was able to save Meg's life because I was ready to risk my own," Hercules retorted sternly, but Xigbar just shrugged.

"Because you've got friends in high places, you mean. Tricks like that don't fly for your average joe."

"What do you know?” said Sora. "You weren't even there! If you were, you'd admire Herc's courage."

Xigbar snorted. "I don't admire one guy leaping into danger if it means someone else might have to jump in to save him. You're all just lining up to lose out. Dooming others to take the fall with ya. Oh, and you can spare me the usual party line. Yes, hearts are powerful when they’re connected. But if you put too much of that power in one place, some of those hearts might end up breaking." During his speech, Xigbar strolled past Sora and his friends, then turned and pointed at Sora. "Still, Sora, that doesn't mean you should change." His golden eye gazed intently at him. "Accept the power you're given. Find the hearts joined to yours."

"Why would I ever take advice from _you_?" Sora couldn't stop himself from shouting back.

"As if! You don't have any choice but to follow this sweet little trail of bread crumbs. And at the end, you'll finally realize what destiny has in store for you. In fact, your reward might be right around the corner. You're so close!" Xigbar's lips twisted into a sneer. He summoned a Corridor of Darkness and melted away into it just as suddenly as he had arrived.

Sora stared at his hands. He was talking about… "Hearts breaking? Whose hearts?"

"Sora, don't let him bother you," Hercules reassured him, and Sora looked up. "He's just trying to get under your skin 'cause he thinks he can. We'll show him that our sacrifices haven't been for nothing."

 _Yeah, Herc has a point._ "You're right!" Sora looked over his comrades in arms, Donald and Goofy, with a smile.

"Mm-hmm! Besides, we're already proof enough," said Goofy, calm and composed.

Donald added, "We're a team! When we're together, we can do anything!"

"Yeah!" Sora replied confidently, and then they all set off to walking. But when the others weren't looking, Sora turned back to where Xigbar had vanished. "...What reward?" For some reason, he couldn't get Xigbar's warning out of his head. It unsettled him. Was he _really_ just bluffing?

* * *

Mickey had successfully collected all the pieces of Riku's fragmented consciousness and was now about to land on the circular platform down below. The stained-glass floor was all covered in darkness, obscuring everything around him.

_This feeling...it's fear!_

Without wasting time, a dark hazy figure materialized on the platform. It was black with glowing yellow eyes, just like a Heartless, except it was completely humanoid in shape. As it gradually became more solid and distinct, the king could tell it was wearing a dark suit with a Heartless emblem on it. It was also wielding a familiar Keyblade—the Way to Dawn.

"Riku!"

The young man looked just like a younger version of Riku, but he had bright golden eyes. This wasn't Riku. It was Anti-Riku.

"No... He's overcome with darkness..."

"And what of it?" Anti-Riku cockily snapped back. It was Riku's voice all right. "With darkness on my side, I have all the power I need! I can do anything I want." He summoned a large ball of darkness in his hand and shot it at the king.

"Ahhh!" He yelped as he was caught off guard and slammed onto the floor.

"Ahahahaha! You like it?" His laugh was extremely vicious—so uncharacteristic of the Riku Mickey knew. "It's so exhilarating. You really ought to try it out." He finished his taunt with a cruel smirk.

Mickey was confused.

**_"You don't belong in the dark realm anymore, Riku."_ **

_He overcame Ansem's darkness. He changed back to his old self, summoned a Keyblade, and passed his Mark of Mastery exam. He couldn't open the dark corridors anymore. But the darkness still has a hold of him? Why?_ "I don't want to fight you! Riku, you don't need the power of darkness anymore. The two of us—we walk road to dawn, remember?"

But Mickey's pleading wasn't getting through. "Road to dawn?" He briefly glanced down at his Keyblade. "Hah! Screw that! I'm done with taking the middle road and running away like a coward! It's time I stopped waffling and embrace what I _really_ want!" A dark aura surrounded him and he regarded Mickey with disdain. "And what about you? You're so full of it."

"W-what do you mean?"

"You know as well as I do that you're not sitting on the fence, walking the road between. You've already chosen a side—the side of light. A creature of the dark like myself—I'm your enemy. Isn't that right?"

Mickey was at a loss for words. "You're not a creature of the dark, Riku,” he stated firmly.

"Then what am I? A guardian of light? Don't make me laugh! I'm tired of holding it back and hiding it! I'm ready to embrace my TRUE self! This is who I REALLY am! I'm the REAL Riku!"

 _I know that's not true. This isn't the real Riku. This is just the weakness in his heart being given a voice of its own. It's his shadow. If I can just defeat him, I think Riku will wake up from his nightmare._ Mickey finally summoned his Starseeker Keyblade, having found the determination to fight his dear friend.

"What!? So you're going to try and destroy me now that you've seen the REAL me!? You can't accept who I REALLY am!?"

Those words pierced Mickey's heart. Although uttered by his shadow, they must have reflected some repressed feelings of the real version. "Riku..." He remembered what Riku's request of him was back in Castle Oblivion.

_**"There's no point in doing this if I can't do it on my own. But I do need a favor. If Ansem is the victor, he's going to enslave me. If that happens, use your powers to destroy—"**_

_**"O'course! I'll be right there to save ya!"** _

_**"Huh? No that's not it. I want you to destr—"**_

_**"No way! No matter what happens, I'm gonna be right there to help ya. I promise ya that. Unless...you don't believe I'll come through for ya..."** _

_**"I choose to believe in you—always, Your Majesty."** _

_**"And I in you. You're not gonna lose, I know it."** _

_**"Thanks."** _

"That's not what I promised and you know it! I'm gonna save ya!"

* * *

As they reached the base of the mountain, they could feel the shaking and hear the rumbling.

"Wak!" Donald leaped into the air in alarm. Small stones came rolling down from the dark clouds around the summit.

"This sure does feel awfully familiar…" Goofy commented as he surveyed what lay above.

Sora nodded and said, "Yeah, just like before."

The last time the air had felt like this, Hades had flung them all the way to Herc.

"Guys, this is getting worse by the minute. I hope I'm wrong, but my family may need me." Hercules looked at the summit of the mountain with stern eyes. "Sora, I'm gonna fly ahead. You've been a big help, but…leave the rest to me." He whistled and called Pegasus down from the sky, then mounted and prepared to depart.

"Family?" Sora asked curiously.

"Yeah. Dad's king of the gods," Herc replied, just Pegasus soared off into the heavens.

 _King of the gods?_ After thinking about it for a moment, Sora let out a cry of surprise. "Whaaaat?!"

Donald and Goofy were just as stunned.

"His father is a god? But doesn't that mean Herc is a god, too?"

"I think it does." Goofy was still staring at the sky in amazement, even though Pegasus was gone.

"No wonder he's so strong!" Donald was doing the same.

He and Goofy looked at each other and said, "Then he'll be okay."

"Won't he?"

Sora was quick to shoot down the idea. "No. Organization XIII's here. He'll need our help." _Herc might be a muscly, all-powerful god or whatever, but there's no way I can just leave him hanging. Maybe I'm not as strong as him, but the three of us working together should be able to help him out._

"Good point. We gotta go!"

"'Cause heroes never quit."

_Yeah, they're right. We can be heroes, too! Herc said he got his strength back because he wanted to save Meg with all his heart. So maybe if I want to save someone with all my heart…_

* * *

"No! How could this happen? I didn't have...the strength..." The cracked Way to Dawn fell out of his hand. Anti-Riku fell forward into the puddle of darkness as it swallowed him up.

"Riku!" Mickey tried to reach for him, but it was too late. He disappeared into the dissipating whirlpool. After the darkness was gone, Riku's station of awakening was fully cleared, revealing a beautiful yellow portrait of him and all those close to his heart. Mickey was there, too.

"I have to go in after him." Mickey pointed his Keyblade down at the floor, opening one last keyhole—this one leading to the innermost depths of Riku's heart.

After being engulfed by a bright white light, Mickey found himself standing on a floating islet, in what appeared to be the eye of a tornado. The sky was darkened and everything was in ruins. Pieces of wood were strewn about on the sand and also circling in the air. In the devastation, all that could be heard was the sound of howling winds.

"Is this...the Destiny Islands?" _It looks similar to when I came here with Aqua. Back when it was consumed by the darkness... Am I back in the realm of darkness?_

Just then, Mickey spotted Riku—this time in his normal attire—staring out into the distance. His back was turned, but Mickey rushed over to him. "Riku!" 

**_"Take a look at this tiny place. To the heart seeking freedom, this island is a prison surrounded by water. And so this boy sought to escape from his prison. He sought a way to cross over to other worlds. And he opened his heart to darkness."_ **

"This is all my fault. I did this." Riku's voice was weak and tiny—the complete opposite of Anti-Riku's.

Mickey knew that Riku opened the door to darkness. But he didn't think it was fair for him to shoulder such a heavy burden. Xehanort's Heartless was deliberately seeking out worlds to consume. And it's not like Riku _knew_ what would happen when he opened that door. "You didn't destroy the islands, Riku."

Riku was unconvinced by that response. He knew it wasn't true.

_**"What drew the Heartless to that world?"** _

_**"The hunter lured them there. It was his lust for power that was the bait."** _

After his encounter with the robed figure, Riku was whisked away to Hollow Bastion. And he learned from Maleficent that the Heartless were drawn to certain worlds. All it took was one heart filled with incredible darkness to lure them there.

_**"This is...that night!"** _

_**"All of the islands you grew up on were sundered, scattered. Many hearts were forever lost to the darkness. Because of what YOU did! You hated being an islander, so you opened the door to darkness and destroyed the islands. It was YOU! You were pulled into the darkness then, and now you belong to the darkness. You should look—look at what you truly are!"** _

_**Before his eyes, Riku's past self was engulfed in a horrific swirl of darkness—and grew into something vaguely human-shaped but made of pitch-black shadow—changing into a Darkside.** _

_**"This...this can't be who I really am!"** _

"I did destroy them. I was selfish and cast all my friends and family into darkness. I just...wanted to go somewhere else. Somewhere other than here. Then I opened the door and I got my wish. The islands vanished. I'm no different from Xehanort. That's why Ansem's shadow chose _my_ heart to nest in. I even took on his appearance. I looked that way because it was a reflection of who I really am on the inside. I don't deserve to wield the Keyblade. Or be a guardian of light."

It was clear that Riku was still in a lot of pain. Although peace had returned to Destiny Islands, he had never truly forgiven himself for what happened that day. _I had no idea he was still suffering like this. But I just don't understand. Could Riku really have invited the Heartless here?_

Mickey didn't actually think someone like Riku had enough darkness to draw the Heartless to a world. There had to be something else going on that night. And that was when it hit him.

_**"Wait—you know this place, Aqua?"** _

_**"Yes. I visited once, and I met two boys I considered passing the Keyblade on to. But because Terra had already given one of them the power, I didn't."** _

_Now, I get it. This nightmare is Riku's memory of the day the islands were lost to darkness. This is where Xehanort's Heartless possessed him. But...it's also the place where Riku met Terra and inherited the Keyblade._ Mickey slowly shook his head. "No. You're wrong. It wasn't your darkness that attracted the robed figure to Destiny Islands, Riku. It was your light."

Riku slowly turned around to face Mickey. Before his eyes, Riku changed from Young Xehanort, to Ansem, then back to Riku again. "...What?"

"I just know it. Terra's heart is what led him here that day. Because he remembered meeting you—the boy he passed the Keyblade to. You were his last hope."

Riku was stunned. _Is that really true?_

"Yup, I'm sure of it! You didn't invite Xehanort into your heart, Riku. You invited _Terra_. He just happened to bring Xehanort along with him."

When it was put it that way, it sounded like Terra's heart must have sought refuge in him, the same way Ventus's heart sought refuge inside Sora.

_**"Light... Was I guided here in order to meet that boy?"** _

Terra was drawn to Destiny Islands because of one young islander's particularly strong light. And he was looking for that same idealistic little boy on the night of the storm.

"I think it was because of him that you became so strong."

_**"I don't know how you did it, but you really have found a way to trap darkness inside your heart. And a boy who's immune to darkness is of no use to us."** _

_Is that it? Is that why Ansem has been haunting me all this time? Because of Terra's heart?_

_**"Your best friend is never far," said the silver-haired boy.** _

_**Beside him, Ansem picked up Frollo's blade and looked it over. "So sad. The cost of yielding to the darkness."** _

_**"You could write a book about that," Riku yelled.** _

_**"But I embraced the darkness—and unless you hurry up and learn to do the same, your story will end just like his." Ansem pointed the sword at Riku.** _

_'Just like his'. Like who? I didn't know who he was talking about back then. I assumed he was just taunting me. But...maybe he was trying to help me face my fears._ _My...fear of the darkness..._

 _**"**_ _**You know… when I look at you…there's this memory that flashes back. A secret I said I'd keep when I was little. The main reason I kept dreaming about the outside world…was 'cause of him."** _

_Now I get it. There was still a part of Terra lingering inside Xehanort's Heartless. He wanted me to become strong._

_**"In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking... its wielder you shall one day be. And you** **will find me, friend— no ocean will contain you then."**_

_I promised Terra that I would find him, and he would teach me how to protect those that matter to me. I guess I did find him, after all._ He closed his eyes and put a hand on his heart. _He was here with me the whole time..._

Mickey noticed that Riku seemed relieved. Suddenly, he remembered something.

_**"Denizens of light… Why do you hate the darkness?"** _

_**"Aw, we don't hate it. It's just kinda...scary. But the world's made of light AND darkness. You can't have one without the other, 'cause darkness is half of everything. Sorta makes ya wonder why we are scared of the dark."** _

_**"It's because of who's lurking inside it."**_

_All this time, he's been terrified of the darkness inside him—of Ansem's shadow._ "There's nothing to be afraid of anymore, Riku. Now, let's head back. We gotta save Terra and the others." Mickey was looking up at Riku, smiling brightly and extending his hand. 

Riku smiled widely and took it. "Yeah."

The king pointed his Keyblade at the sky and summoned a Sleeping Keyhole.

Side by side, hand in hand, the two friends floated upward and disappeared into the white light.

* * *

Riku was sinking. Sinking deeper and deeper.

That pitch-black darkness would surely swallow up everything…but a ball of light appeared above him. 

_This light..._

_"Riku!"_

_That voice... I've heard it before... Wait, that's right... I remember now..._

_**"Gosh, Riku, I know you wanted to do this alone...but ya don't mind gettin' a LITTLE help, do ya?"**_

The ball of light glowed brighter and brighter. And then the light outshone everything.

* * *

"Riku… Wake up… Riku!"

His eyes opened gradually as Mickey called to him, and he saw the king looking at him with worry. Riku sat up.

"Are you okay?"

Riku pressed down on his temple. His head still hurt a bit. "That voice… I heard it the whole time during my nightmare. That was _you_."

"Yeah," the mouse said with a small laugh.

"Thank you, Mickey," he said a bit timidly.

"Aww, gosh, Riku. You don't have to hide all your feelings. A true friend will always accept you, no matter what."

Riku smiled; his face indicated that the king had truly touched his heart. However, as his head became less foggy, he asked with concern, "Oh! What about you, Mickey? Are you all right? You had to use the power of waking on me, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I'm fine thanks to the new gear. But…your Keyblade…" The king was looking at the weapon in Riku's hand. It was fine before, but after he dove inside Riku's heart and fought his shadow, the tip of Way to the Dawn—the Keyblade he had used all this time—had snapped off. "I'm sorry."

Riku thought back to Mickey's story and how he was searching for a Keyblade from the dark realm. _The Keyblade of darkness was found in the secret spot, the same place I opened the door._ He gazed into the eyeball located on the hilt of his broken Way to Dawn. It was just like the one on Xehanort's Keyblade. _I see. This Keyblade, too—it's a Keyblade of the dark realm._

"Right," Riku agreed firmly, then planted the broken Way to the Dawn in the sand. "Can't use this Keyblade anymore. Might as well leave it here…for the other me." _Yeah, for the other me— My shadow. The weakness in my heart. He can have that piece of junk. I don't need it anymore._

Mickey glanced up at Riku curiously. "But..." 

Riku looked so resolute.

_**"Master Frollo—he made me live inside the bell tower, but the real walls were the ones I built around my heart. You helped me see that, Riku."** _

_**"I was...speaking from...personal experience."** _

_**"I'd say you still keep a lot locked inside."** _

_**"We all do that sometimes. There are just some things we need to keep separate from the world at large, at least until we have time to figure them out."** _

_I'm done bottling everything up. My heart's not a prison anymore._ "I remember my first time here. I was so scared. But that all seems like another life." Not much time had actually passed since his last visit, but still. Riku seemed reborn—like a brand new person. "Now, my doubts and fears are gone. I'm in control now. It's because you're with me this time." He finished his little speech with a smile.

Mickey returned the smile and shook his head. "It's not me. I think it's because you've finally found inside you that special strength to protect what matters."

"What?"

"Sometimes you care so much for somebody that other feelings disappear. And then, there's no room for fear or doubt."

"Is that it? 'Strength to protect what matters'..." Riku looked down at his right hand as a faint memory from his childhood came back to him.

_**"I know it's out there somewhere—the strength that I need."** _

_**"Strength for what?"** _

_**"To protect the things that matter. You know, like my friends."** _

"It reminds me of a promise I made."

"To who?"

"Just someone I once met. Can't tell."

By his playful response, Mickey realized that there was no one else Riku could be referring to. "That promise must've been what bound you and Terra together. And it still does, to this day."

Riku nodded. Though it had grown more and more hazy over the years, it was one of his most precious memories. And it was the key to awakening a new power.

_**"No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love."** _

_For a long time, I've been so jealous of Sora. But...I was the kid he chose. He appeared to me that day because he remembered meeting me all those years ago. Back when I was still that idealistic little kid. I guess deep down, I'm still that same person._

"I don't need the power of darkness. I know I have an even greater power."

He curled his hand into a fist. The strength of heart required to face his own inner self was now made manifest. A new Keyblade appeared in his hand. This was a Keyblade from the realm of light. A beam of light shot forth, and a white door appeared over the water exactly like the one that appeared when Kairi's letter washed up on shore.

"Whoa! Riku!"

"It's...the door to light. Come on. Let's go back."

Mickey was beaming. "Right!"

Riku returned his gaze to the horizon beyond the sea.

"Aqua, we won't be long."

Mickey nodded.

Riku and Mickey put the sea behind them and made their way back to the realm of light.

* * *

Sora and his friends descended the steps from the realm of the gods with Hercules, who looked back reluctantly.

"Are you sure you want to leave all this behind?" Sora asked him with a hint of worry.

Goofy and Donald felt the same. This was what Hercules was training so hard for. He wanted to be a true hero so he could finally take his place among the gods.

"Isn't Olympus your home?"

"And your family?"

Hercules shook his head. "I can see my family any time I want. If I stayed, I'd have to be apart from the person I love most… And that life would be empty." His eyes landed on Megara, who was waiting at the bottom of the steps. "I finally know where I belong." With that, Hercules ran down to Megara and took her in his arms.

"Hercules…" she murmured in his embrace.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy walked down the steps toward them, and Hercules turned back around as if he'd suddenly remembered something. "Sora, we never got back to your question. How can I help you?"

"Mmm, it's okay." Sora shook his head. "I think I'm meant to figure it out for myself. I'll find my strength the way you found yours. Something to fight for…with all my heart," he said, then smiled.

He wanted to hold on to that feeling more than ever now—that drive to help his friends. _I want to help my friends who fight alongside me, who cheer me up when I'm down, who stay near and dear to my heart. Maybe I don't have my strength back yet, but I'll be fine as long as I never let that feeling go._

"I guess you did have the answer!"

"Well, you've got heart, Sora. Just keep at it and I know you'll be stronger than ever,” Hercules said with certainty.

"Yeah, I might even end up stronger than you are."

"There he goes again." Donald groaned as Sora copied Herc’s macho pose.

For a moment afterward, Olympus was filled with laughter.

* * *

And now the trio returned to the Mysterious Tower after their visit with Hercules.

"I see… You could not regain your lost power of waking," Yen Sid mused gravely.

But Sora and his smile were unfazed. "Aw, no biggie. I still learned a lot." _I learned about protecting what matters—the people you love most._

Donald and Goofy were also smiling next to him.

"Regardless, Sora, you will need the power of waking."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"We're back, Master!" Riku and Mickey entered the chamber.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, the king, and Riku were happy to see one another again.

"So, how did everything go?" Mickey asked eagerly.

"...It was a big disappointment," said Donald quietly so Sora wouldn't hear.

Mickey replied, "What a shame. But, honestly..."

"We didn't fare any better," Riku finished for him.

"Did ya manage to find out where Aqua is?" Goofy asked.

Riku and Mickey shared a look of chagrin, and the king nodded sadly.

"Not even a hint?" added Donald.

Riku began to elaborate. "We know Master Aqua made it as far as the beach that Sora and I once visited, but that's where her trail ends."

Apparently, the situation was more dire than they had realized.

"All traces of her vanish into the great abyss…beneath the realm of darkness," Mickey added.

"She's gone?" Donald asked weakly.

"No. Sora was dragged into the abyss during his exam. And I went in after him. So, I think if we can get someone that was really close to Aqua, and they make the dive, they could reach her down there." Riku clearly believed there was some way to save her.

But Mickey only shook his head. "I'm not sure who's even left to ask. Terra isn't an option. And we need Aqua to find Ventus."

"Their teacher, Master Eraqus, would have been another possibility, had Xehanort not mercilessly struck him down." The sorcerer's gaze lowered just the barest amount—a rarity for him.

Sora was the one who broke the silence. "I'll save her." Everyone in the room turned to him, surprised by his forcefulness. But he couldn't help speaking up—the feeling had welled up so suddenly, squeezing his heart tight. _I will save Aqua._

"You can't!"

"But, Sora, that's gonna be super hard, since you don't have the power of waking."

Donald sounded a bit annoyed, and Goofy merely worried.

"Huh? Sorry… I have no idea why that just popped out." Sora scratched his head, also confused by the sudden surge of emotion.

Yen Sid stared hard at Sora, deep in thought. He had something very important on his mind, but held his tongue for now.

Mickey stepped before the sorcerer, and Riku did the same. "We got hit pretty hard in the realm of darkness. If it weren't for these clothes, I'm not sure we woulda made it."

"In that case, rendezvous with Kairi and Lea. They are continuing their training under the tutelage of the wizard Merlin. The three good fairies should be there as well. I would like you to deliver these for me." Yen Sid waved his hand, and two cases appeared on his desk, one red and one black. They were of a different size and color from the ones the sorcerer had given Riku and Mickey for their journey to the realm of darkness. "They are the same as the ones I gave you. Special vestments to shield Kairi and Lea from the darkness."

"We got 'em." Riku and Mickey each took a bag.

"What? No fair! What about my outfit, Master?" Sora cut in.

Donald was quick to admonish him. "Sora, don't bug him like that. It's inconsiderate."

However, the sorcerer was merely amused. "Settle down. I have new clothes for you, too, Sora. A gift from the good fairies." Yen Sid held out his hand, and one more suitcase appeared on the desk.

Sora beamed. "I knew you'd come through for me. Thanks!"

Donald seemed disappointed that he and Goofy didn't get cool new clothes, too.

"These are no ordinary garments, Sora. Like before, they have very special powers, so it took extra time to prepare them. In addition, there is a special gift from Chip and Dale inside."

"Cool. Okay!" Sora replied gleefully, shifting the big bag from his shoulder to his back.

"Now, you are all ready to proceed," the sorcerer announced just as a diminutive figure hopped onto his desk.

"Hey, wait! Don't forget about me!"

"Jiminy!" Sora and his friends exclaimed.

The dapper cricket had been their constant companion on all their previous journeys. As always, he had his top hat and umbrella. "Every journey worth goin' on needs a cricket to keep track of it. And I can't let ya start this one without ol' Jiminy Cricket by your side." Jiminy swept off his hat and bowed.

"Good. Now, to mark the beginning of a new journey, I wish for you to have this, Sora." With another wave of Yen Sid's hand, a bangle set with a purple stone appeared in Sora's hand. It was engraved with the symbol for Spirits— residents of the Sleeping Worlds who ate nightmares.

"Okay?"

"That is a Heartbinder. Think of it as a good luck charm made just for you. You have a gift, Sora, for connecting with others, and this makes that gift stronger."

Sora clutched the Heartbinder tightly and nodded.

"It's time to go!" Mickey cried, and everyone stood at attention and bowed.

"Okay, where to?" Donald asked.

"Oh… Hmm…" Sora sighed, then paused to think. "Hey, we were gone a pretty long time. Maybe we can check back in with Ienzo and the others to see if they found anything out about the data."

"If you're headed to Radiant Garden, we'll go, too. We gotta drop off these clothes to Kairi and Lea," said Mickey.

"Okay. Then we can all go! Next stop: Radiant Garden!"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy strained their ears to hear something. Goofy was right—Yen Sid was definitely whispering a certain phrase: "May your hearts be your guiding keys."

"See?" They all shared a look and smiled.


	6. The Key to Return Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora learns another way to wake up Ventus’s heart and decides to follow Roxas’s memories to Twilight Town.

The group made their way back to Radiant Garden and entered the laboratory with the large computer.

"Ah, Sora." Ienzo turned his attention from the computer. Even was standing beside him, and Chip and Dale were close by.

"Hey there! Have you guys had any luck yet?"

"We have been pouring over the data on my master's computer. The data has been encrypted, so we've only deciphered some of it," said Ienzo.

"Ansem's Code!" Dale cried out.

"Mm-hmm," added Chip. "We've been workin' our tails off tryin' to crack it and see what it says."

Mickey had the utmost faith in the chipmunks. "Were you able to learn anything that could help us?"

"We did find some intriguing data in the bit of code we deciphered." 

Sora noticed Ienzo staring at him when he said that. "Is it about me?"

"Yes. In order to piece your memories back together, our teacher, Ansem the Wise, took a close look at your heart. And what he found…is that your heart doesn't belong just to you."

"Yeah." Sora softly placed a hand on his own chest. "There's another heart inside mine. Ventus's heart. He's one of the missing Keyblade wielders we're looking for. His heart was inside of Roxas."

"This is a truly astonishing discovery. It's incredible enough that you and your Nobody were able to coexist. If you share a heart…no wonder someone as remarkable as you caught Ansem the Wise's eye."

"But how did _Ansem_ know he was inside my heart when even _I_ didn't know?" asked Sora, bewildered.

After his adventure inside the datascape repairing Jiminy's Journal, Mickey thought he had an idea.

**_Naminé extended her right hand into the air, and a glowing orb rose from her palm. "It all began with these memories that were sleeping way down deep in Sora's heart."_ **

**_"These are my memories?" Sora asked, looking at the fragment of memory Naminé had projected._ **

**_"No. Not yours. These belong to people connected to you."_ **

**_"What? Isn't it weird for somebody else's memories to be inside me?"_ **

**_"Right, it's not usually possible. When I first found them while repairing your memory, I thought I'd made a mistake. But all the evidence I found proved they belong in your heart, where they've been sleeping a long…long time."_ **

"It musta been when Naminé was repairing your memories," the King stated. "She saw other memories that weren't yours. Memories connected to the three missing Keyblade wielders."

"And Naminé was working with DiZ. So, he must have known about these memeories, too." Riku however, never knew.

It was now Even's turn to voice his thoughts. "The encrypted data mentions something called 'The Key to Return Hearts'."

Sora's ears perked. That certainly sounded like a lead. "Um, what is _that_?"

"I am not entirely sure. However, I do have a theory. As you know, our original research focused on the heart. Master Ansem discovered that by traversing the heart, we have a direct path into memory. Our first experiment awakened Xehanort's sleeping memories. Master Ansem did so by probing the depths of his heart."

 _Right_ , Sora thought. This was what Even told him the last time, too. The next bit of information was new, though.

"When he went by the name of DiZ, he conducted more research. And what he found was that the process worked in reverse as well."

Riku and Mickey exchanged a meaningful glance.

"R-Really?" stammered Sora.

"Yes," replied the genius scientist. "Memories have the power to awaken a heart from its sleep. You could say they are...the key."

"The...key?" repeated Sora.

To Riku, this made perfect sense.

_**"I keep trying to piece his memory back together, but what if some of the pieces got lost?" Naminé went on, keeping her eyes on the floor. "There would be no way for me to finish. If that happened—and they found their way into someone else—he'd never get them back."** _

_**"Oh, I think he can do without a memory or two," said DiZ.** _

_**"But what...what if he needs those memories in order to wake up?" Naminé insisted. "What if they're the key?"** _

"While you were sleeping, Naminé said your memories of Kairi were the 'key'." 

"My memories of Kairi...?"

Riku thought back to the time he reunited with King Mickey in Twilight Town's forest.

_**"Sora's memories are what they're after. And they needed all this time until now to absorb every piece of it."** _

_**"Huh?"** _

_**"The process of putting his memory back together has gone nowhere... They have what's most precious to Sora...his memories of Kairi."** _

"The organization was preventing those memories from returning to you. That's why you were asleep for so long. Your heart needed them to wake up. And that's why I had to fight Roxas."

Sora wasn't sure he was following. "So then...Roxas was holding onto my memories of Kairi while I was asleep?"

Riku nodded, though he wore a bit of a frown. He thought back to his confrontation with Roxas.

_**"Who are you?"** _

_**"What does it matter? I'm here for you."** _

_**"Why are you trying to stop me?"** _

_**"Because I want back the rest of Sora's memories."** _

_**"Sora, Sora, Sora! Enough about Sora!"** _

"Yeah. And I had to fight him in order to return those memories to you." _I thought I was just doing what I had to do, but...now I'm not so sure._

Even then interjected himself into the conversation. "Special Nobodies, like those of us who were in the organization, retained the memories of our human lives. Thus, we also had the ability to awaken a heart. I knew it when I was sent to Castle Oblivion. When I stood in front of the mansion in Twilight Town, the place Roxas was first born. Suddenly I... I remembered."

**_"Thank you."_ **

**_"No, thank you, for keeping Ienzo out of harm's way. And... Well, let's say I have a feeling we are destined to cross paths again."_ **

"Many years ago, when we were both still human, Ienzo had run off during one of our study sessions. That in itself was nothing unusual. But, there were strange monsters in town that day. I will never forget. I was beside myself with worry. I came to find that a peculiar young boy had saved Ienzo. And he looked just like Roxas, your Nobody."

Sora knew exactly who that had to be. "Ventus..."

"Afterwards, I told Master Ansem about him. How I sensed that his heart had been entirely stripped clean of darkness. He desperately wished to meet the boy. I'm sure he would have...treated him to some ice cream." His voice trailed off and became more wistful. "You see, Master Ansem loved little Ienzo dearly. But Ventus was already long gone. I never saw him again. I had nearly forgotten about him."

This was Ienzo's first time hearing about that day from Even's point of view. As a child, he always used to resent Even for being so strict. But he understood now. All his scolding...it came from a place of love.

"After losing my heart, I once again became engrossed in my research. Before I knew it, my scientific findings were all I cared about. But then I arrived in Castle Oblivion and met you, Sora. The Keyblade Hero who took such seemingly foolish actions. Yet, unlike me, you were guided by your heart. Thanks to you, I remembered meeting Ventus. That was the key. I began to _feel_."

"So. That's what Ansem's Code is all about. Nobodies _can_ have hearts," Riku stated matter-of-factly.

Sora agreed. He remembered what Xigbar told him back in the Sleeping Worlds.

_**"Aren't hearts great? Steer us wrong every time."**_

_**"You know, right, because you all have hearts! Axel and Roxas and Naminé, and that other girl. I felt what Roxas felt and...they laughed together, got mad, and they grieved. You have to have a heart to cry."** _

_**"It's about time you noticed."** _

Riku continued musing. "After being betrayed by his apprentices, Ansem the Wise hated Nobodies. He didn't want to believe that they really had hearts. After exploring Sora's memories, he must've realized that they did. And if that's the case, that knowledge interfered with his desire for revenge. He knew, but didn't want to accept it. He needed Roxas gone so Sora would wake up and destroy Organization XIII."

Mickey was beginning to make sense of Ansem the Wise's actions. "I get it! This data was his way of clearing his conscience! While Sora slept, he left the truth of the heart inside of him."

Riku recalled one of the last things DiZ said to him.

 _**"Naminé, Roxas, and Xemnas… The Nobodies of those with strong hearts are peculiar beings. My—that is,** _ **our** _**theories proved fruitless. Coming into contact with a strong heart transforms a world. And not just worlds, but people themselves—and even Nobodies."** _

"That's the mystery of the heart," he said. " _Memories_ have the ability to awaken a heart. In replicas, people made entirely of data, and even Nobodies."

"Gawrsh," said Goofy. "That reminds me of our time in the datascape."

 _**"Gah-ha-ha-ha! What a pair of rubes! Why risk your necks for a lump of data? Oh yeah, I know all about this phony. Youse guys made him, just like**_ _**that phony Keyblade he's got!" Pete sneered at Donald and Goofy in his trap.** _

_**"Don't you ever talk about Sora like that. He's our friend in this world and every other one, too!" Donald shouted, wriggling in the tiny space between his body and the wall to strike the blocks with his staff. The wall didn’t budge, though.** _

_**"Hmph, maybe on the outside, but he's just an empty shell. The kid don't got a heart," Pete continued.** _   
  
_**"That's not true! We've got Sora's heart right here!" This time, it was Goofy who shouted.** _

_**"Oh yeah?" The smile was wiped from Pete's face.** _

_**"You'd see it, too, if you were looking. Why would he keep fighting for us—no matter the danger, no matter how hard things got—if he didn't care?" Donald added, poking his face just a bit through one of the gaps in the blocks.** _

_**"A-yep!" Goofy agreed. "And we'll fight for him, too. Ya know why? Because he's in our hearts as much as we're in his."** _

Donald nodded. "Yeah. Pete said he was just an empty shell. But Data-Sora had a heart, didn't he?"

"That's right!" Goofy added enthusiastically. "It's 'cause we remembered our friendship with the real Sora!"

The mouse-king was smiling. "Data-Sora wasn't just data anymore _—_ he became a part of your heart, Sora."

Sora gazed at his two friends, while Donald and Goofy shared a look.

"Of course. Any Sora's still Sora." The two of them smiled, and Sora did, too.

Riku recalled the last words of his Replica.

_**"My heart was never real. Even what I'm feeling now is probably all fake." The Replica smiled faintly and light began to surround him.** _

_**"What are you feeling?" Riku asked, staring down at the copy of himself.** _

_**"What happens when a fake like me dies? Where will my heart go? Maybe it'll just disappear."** _

_**"It'll go somewhere," said Riku. "Maybe to the same place as mine."** _

"My Replica could feel, too. He became a part of _my_ heart. I could feel his pain..."

Even folded his arms and nodded confidently. "That replica _was_ created from your memories, after all. Yes. Memories. They are the key to return hearts. All a heart requires to be awakened is that 'spark'—a special memory that can create a powerful enough tremor to stir it from its sleep."

 _That sounds just like the power of waking._ Sora suddenly had an idea and blurted out, "Heeeey!"

"Squawk!" Donald jumped up, startled at his loudness.

"If Ventus experiences what I experience in his dreams, then maybe we can wake up his heart! We just have to do something to trigger his most important memories!"

Mickey's expression became glum. He had no idea what Ventus's most precious memories were. "Without Terra and Aqua, I'm not sure that would work." 

Sora wasn't to be dissuaded, though. "But memories and the heart are connected. And Ventus's heart was inside of Roxas, right!?"

Mickey nodded.

"So even if we don't have anyone left who was close to Ventus, we can still wake up his heart with important memories to _Roxas_!"

Goofy pumped his fist. "Good thinkin', Sora!"

"Yeah. For a change," Donald said sarcastically.

Sora ignored the jab. "So...somebody who was close to Roxas..."

"Well, there was Naminé," Riku suggested.

_**"I always thought…that Nobodies were doomed to fade back into darkness..."** _

_**"Yeah, but you and I didn't. We got to meet our original selves."** _

_**"So, we can be together again!"** _

_**"Right. Anytime Sora and Kairi are together."** _

"But she's back inside Kairi's heart now. I've been with Kairi every day since we got back home. And I didn't feel any sign of Ventus's heart waking up. So...I don't think that's gonna work."

"What about Lea, then? Of all the members, he was closest to Roxas when they were in the organization."

It was true. In the past, even Xemnas thought that Axel might have had the power to awaken _'his'_ heart.

_**"He won nothing and is nothing. He couldn't stand the emptiness of being without a heart, and that led to his demise. He was foolish and weak," Saïx spat bitterly.**_

_**Xemnas only replied calmly. "But... Weakness has the power to awaken that which is dormant. It is clear that through his actions, however foolish they may have been, Axel has touched Sora's heart. Perhaps HE will soon awaken."** _

"That's right. When I saw Axel disappear, I felt sad. _Really_ sad. After we got to the organization's world, Roxas challenged me to a fight. I could feel his pain."

Goofy pondered that for a bit. He remembered Sora disappearing, and then he and Donald had to fight some Nobodies. "But Ventus's heart still didn't wake up."

Sora shook his head. "No..." It didn't seem like Lea would be the one to wake him up.

Riku had one last lead. "Well, what about Twilight Town? That's where Roxas spent...his last days with his friends."

Sora recalled his last few visits to Twilight Town. He woke up inside the mysterious mansion. Then, he ran into three kids. For some reason, they were drawn to each other.

_**"Wait up!"** _

_**"…Hayner?" Sora looked back to find Hayner and Pence and Olette waiting at the bottom of the stairs to the platform.** _

_**Finally Hayner stepped closer, struggling to say what he wanted to. "Hey, Sora…"** _

_**"What?"** _

_**"It's nothing, but…" Hayner looked at the floor. Whatever he was having trouble saying, it seemed important.** _

_**Pence picked up the thread. "We came to see you off. It just seemed like something we oughta do."** _

_**"Oh…really?" Sora said. "Thanks!"** _

Sora had to wonder. "Is that why Hayner and his friends in the real Twilight Town wanted to see me off? Because of Roxas's presence in the alternate Twilight Town?"

Donald and Goofy shook their heads. They really had no clue.

Mickey didn't see why not, though.

_**"The process of encoding hearts is incalculable. The inhabitants of my Twilight Town were data created from real hearts. I was convinced that they would think and behave the way I had envisioned—but I couldn't have been more wrong. A heart is so much more than any system."** _

"The heart is so much more than any system. If Data-Sora was able to awaken a heart, then I think Roxas's data friends were, too. They became a part of the _real_ version's hearts and still felt a connection to their friend. And since his heart was inside of yours, they felt a connection to you."

_**"Bye!" Sora turned back to Hayner and his friends and forced himself to smile for them.** _

_**"Hey, Sora… You sure we haven't met before?" Hayner said, with Pence and Olette staring at him, a little surprised.** _

_**"Pretty sure…" Sora replied, but his head was cocked uncertainly. "Why do you ask?"** _

_**"Heh… I dunno." Hayner smiled awkwardly.** _

_**Tears welled up in Sora's eyes and a drop spilled down his cheek. "Huh…?" He had no idea why he would be crying. He rushed to wipe it away. He was sad but happy. Happy and yet sad…** _

"I remember feeling so...sad when I had to say goodbye to them."

"Yeah, you were crying like a baby!" Donald remembered fondly.

"Was not!"

Sora then recalled the second time he visited.

Goofy accidentally dropped the trophy Seifer had given him. The four crystals in the trophy fell from their settings and rolled away over the paving stones—blue, red, green, and yellow. Sora, Hayner, Pence, and Olette each picked one up. Sora held the blue crystal up to the light of the setting sun. It shone, refracting the red beams. And then...he felt something really strange.

 _Ventus's heart must have been really close to waking up at that moment._ "Let's go to Twilight Town," Sora said firmly.

"Good idea!" agreed Goofy.

"Yeah!" Donald was ready to start making some actual progress toward their goal.

"All right," said Mickey. "While you three head to Twilight Town, we're gonna stop by Merlin's and let him know what's going on."

"Okay, then. We'll see you later." Sora waved to Mickey and Riku, and then set off with Donald and Goofy.

* * *

In the distance, the two bells on the famous station clocktower were ringing to let the townsfolk know the exact time. Sora and his friends walked down the hill from the station to the plaza.

"Oh, cool! The trams are still here." Sora took off running after it, much to Donald's displeasure.

"Sora, it hasn't been that long."

"Feels like it," Sora said uncertainly. To him, it really did feel like long ago. Long, long ago—and yet not long ago at all.

Then Goofy said, "Maybe you're feelin' what Roxas feels because he misses home."

 _Oh yeah. This feeling might belong to Roxas._ "Actually, I ran into Roxas in the Sleeping Worlds," Sora replied.

_**"But it really has to be you."** _

He remembered what Roxas had said to him.

"It was like…seeing into his heart for the first time." Sora had felt so many emotions from the Roxas in his heart—so much regret. "So wait… If Roxas feels something, then we're in the right place!" Sora exclaimed, renewing his promise.

But then…

_Do you seek our liege?_

Sora heard a strange voice, and he gasped and spun around. "Nobodies!" He got his Keyblade ready to fight the white creatures weaving toward him, and the battle that followed was quick.

_Was that voice…really a voice at all? It was more like someone talking to me in my mind._

"Sora! This is no time for daydreaming!" Donald quacked angrily as he fired off spells.

"Sorry!"

"Be careful, Sora." Goofy knocked Nobodies away with his shield.

Sora nodded, then ran over to the last one and struck it with his Keyblade. _It's still bothering me, though…_ "Hmm… What was that voice? I know I heard it." The fight may have been over, but Sora was still puzzled.

Donald and Goofy glanced at each other. "I didn't hear it."

"You sure it wasn't the wind? Or somethin' else?"

Sora lapsed into thought. "I'm pretty sure…"

Suddenly, they heard more voices, and these were definitely real.

"Where'd they come from?!"

"Get the ice cream later!"

"What? Hold up!" Sora raised his head— "See? Voices!" he said while his two friends just looked at him with concern. He quickly realized these voices weren't the same, though, and turned around. "…New ones?"

Hayner, Pence, and Olette were running toward them with a pack of Heartless hot on their heels.

"What is _that_!?" shouted Goofy.

"Heeey! Sora! Hello, good-bye," Hayner shouted as he and the other two ran past the trio.

Sora planted himself in the path of the Heartless and yelled back, "Go! We got this."

Donald and Goofy prepared for battle, too.

_Nobodies, and now Heartless?_

The horde of Shadows congealed into a black current that hurled itself at the three of them. Sora blocked the attack with his Keyblade, but the force almost knocked him over. The Heartless used this opportunity to turn sharply in another direction, but Donald had a spell waiting for them. When the swarm was stunned, Sora and Goofy charged in and scattered it. After a few rounds of this, the Heartless were dealt with for good.

"Nice fightin'! Thanks, Sora," said Hayner. His two friends were with him, too.

"Hayner, Pence, Olette," Sora called. "It's been ages!"

"What? It hasn't been that long." Hayner shrugged.

Donald looked up at Sora. "Ya see?"

 _Really? It really feels like it's been forever, though_ , thought Sora.

"Donald! Goofy! How are ya?" Olette said with a smile.

"We're good," Donald replied

"Howdy there, Olette."

Pence jumped in the mix with excitement. "So does this mean weird stuff's going down again?"

"You kidding, Pence? When have we ever seen a tornado of shadowy blobs before? It's not weird. This is underprecedented!" Hayner claimed, also worked up.

"Hmm, I guess it is. The creatures from the last time were bright white. These things must be new. Man, I can't wait to get to sleuthin'." Pence's interest was definitely piqued.

"We're already done with the school project, silly," Olette chided, then turned to look at Sora and his friends. "Whatever's going on, you wouldn't be here without a good reason."

"Which is?"

"Well, actually, we're looking for Roxas," Sora replied to Hayner.

"Roxas?" Olette repeated.

Hayner paused to think for a moment. "That's funny… I don't know any Roxas, but the name sounds familiar."

"Maybe we bumped into him somewhere," Pence offered.

"Uh…that's one way to put it," said Donald.

As Donald considered how to fill them in, Goofy began rummaging in his pocket and pulled out a photo. "Actually, he mighta been friends with another version of ya." He held it out to them, showing Hayner, Pence, Olette, and Roxas in front of a haunted mansion.

"This photograph…" Olette whispered.

"Yeah," Pence added. "We've got the same one." The photo he pulled out was identical—except for the fact that Roxas wasn't in it.

That was enough for Hayner to put two and two together. "Oh yeah! The other Twilight Town!"

Pence had hit upon the same idea. "It's like one of those 'spot the difference' puzzles…except really easy. I guess in that town, we're friends with this 'Roxas' person." 

"Sora, let us help you track Roxas down," Hayner offered while Pence and Olette nodded in agreement. "He seems like a pretty cool guy," he added with a grin, looking at the photo.

"Yeah. He is," Sora agreed happily.

Although they had no memory of meeting Roxas, there _did_ seem to be a connection between them. That photo probably represented an important memory for Roxas. Perhaps if they just went to the place it was taken, his heart would wake up.

"Okay," said Sora. "Let's start by checking out the old mansion."

"Got it," Hayner answered. With that, the trio set off for the mansion.

* * *

The old mansion lay beyond an underground conduit found on the outskirts of town—and there were Heartless everywhere. Sora and his friends fought their way through, then stepped out into the woods.

"Things are a bit different than last time."

"Really?"

Everything about the place reminded Sora of Roxas. _It's all so familiar—and I don't think it's just because Roxas was in the other Twilight Town. I think he was in this version, too. Maybe._

Meanwhile, Sora, Donald, and Goofy had finally arrived at the mansion. The gate wasn't locked. As he looked up, Sora thought he saw one of the curtains move.

_Who is it? Who's up there in that room? I can't remember._

A strong sense of nostalgia overcame Sora—the same as when he picked up the trophy gem and held it up to the sun. _I can feel his heart stirring._

Just then, a hand clapped down on Sora's shoulder. "Hey there! You spacing out?"

"Ahh!"

"Wak!"

"Yaaa-hoo-hoo-hooey!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy all screamed in unison.

The hand belonged to Hayner, as it turned out.

"Thanks for the heart attack!" Sora shouted.

"Oh, what? Did I scare you?" Hayner teased.

Donald bristled at the very idea. "Not a chance!"

"Our bad," Olette said, smoothing things over a bit.

"So what's up? Do we have any leads on Roxas?" Hayner asked impatiently.

Sora shook his head, holding his hand on his heart. "No... But he might be in the other Twilight Town..."

Hayner looked up, filled with determination. "Well then. This old mansion is our last hope."

"You guys ready?" Olette asked.

"Another Twilight Town awaits!" Pence declared.

Sora looked up at the mansion and nodded. "Yeah."

* * *

Inside, the place was as dusty as ever. They went up the steps and to the right to the room at the end of the hall.

"Here we go!" Sure enough, the steps to the underground computer room were still there. Pence dashed over to the computer and sat down in front of it.

As usual, nothing on the monitor made any sense whatsoever to Sora, but he could at least tell the thing worked. Pence had been in charge of all the techy stuff last time anyway.

"The password was…uh, 'sea-salt ice cream,' right?" Pence muttered to himself as he entered the code. "Okay, I'm in. Let's get the transporter working…" Fortune wasn't on their side, however, as the text on the monitor flashed red and an error alert sounded. Pence tried several times with no luck. "Oh man. The transporter's been protected."

"Protected from what?" Sora looked at Pence's hands.

"I guess from us? We can't use it to get to the other Twilight Town."

"Why not? It worked before! We sent Sora there!" Hayner pressed.

"Well that was then, and this is now."

"And there's no other way?" Olette asked dejectedly.

"None that I know."

 _What if we never find a way to get to Roxas's Twilight Town?_ Sora looked up sadly at the indecipherable text displayed on the monitor. "Great."

Suddenly, the Gummiphone in his pocket started ringing with an incoming call. He punched the green button again, and there was Ienzo. "Hello, Sora," said Ienzo. "You wouldn't happen to be in front of a computer?"

"Huh? Well…yeah. But, how'd you know that?" he asked.

"I was tinkering with Ansem's computer—you know, to decrypt the code that was left in it? And I noticed that someone had logged in from another terminal. I figured it might be you."

"Oh! Yeah, the log terminal." Sora figured it was better to just say yes to whatever Ienzo was saying.

"You don't know what he said," Donald cut in.

Sora leaned in close to him. "Oh, and what, you do?" he shot back.

"I know I haven't got a clue," Goofy joked amiably from off to one side.

Ienzo realized this was going nowhere and chuckled. "Then, uhhh…who was it that logged in?" he asked.

"Oh, hi there. This is Pence," Pence called as Sora turned the Gummiphone toward him. "I'm the one who logged into the computer."

"Good. As long as it's a user that we know we can trust." Ienzo sounded relieved to finally have a grasp on the situation, especially since Sora and his usual crew weren't exactly up to the task.

"Yup. But, I'm kind of stuck here. One of the programs is protected, so…I can't run it."

"Which program?"

Hayner jumped into the conversation. "The transporter to the other Twilight Town! It's the only way to find Roxas. You gotta help us."

Hayner's shouting startled Ienzo somewhat, but he quickly gained his composure. "Another Twilight Town? And a 'transporter'? Okay… A virtual town inside the computer, made of data. Maybe I can do something. Pence, let’s get a network set up. My address here is…"

Pence started typing as Ienzo gave instructions through the Gummiphone. Sora's eyes glazed over as he watched him do…whatever it was he was doing.

"Okay, sharing is enabled."

The words snapped him to attention just as boredom was seriously setting in. "Huh? Were you able to fix it?"

"Now that our two computers have been successfully networked together, I can take control of the terminal there and change the privileges…"

But Sora only had one thing at the forefront of his mind. "So we'll be able to go inside the datascape to look for Roxas?"

"Well, no. In order for me to access it, the computer in Twilight Town is now connected to the transporter here in Radiant Garden."

Sora and Hayner hung their heads in an exaggerated manner. "Awww..."

"There is some good news, though."

"Really!?"

"Yes. For the virtual world to be completely realized, Ansem the Wise would've included the real Twilight Town's full data in the construction. Meaning, somewhere on your machine there's a log of data that contains a near-perfect record of the memories of those who lived there, including Roxas's _._ If we analyze that data, that could contain the key to awaken his heart."

"Okay. Great! I can't computer, so…do that!"

Ienzo smiled at Sora's enthusiasm. "Glad you're following along. Don't worry, we'll handle it. Chip and Dale will be helping me out here on this end. I'll call you back as soon as we know anything more," he said, ending the conversation.

"Thanks," Sora replied, ending the call. Then he turned his attention to the others. "Well, guess that's all we can do for now, guys."

"So we can't do _anything?_ " Hayner was sounding even more agitated.

"Calm down, Hayner," chided Olette. "Sora's done everything he can for now. We just have to wait."

"Oh no! We got work! I totally forgot," Pence exclaimed in a sudden panic, whirling around to leave.

"Later, Sora!"

"Yeah. See ya, Hayner!" he said as he stormed off in a rush.

"Bye, Donald! Goofy!"

"Good-bye!" the two waved at her.

And then Sora, Donald, and Goofy left the computer room, too.

"Computers really are something," Sora muttered.

"Yeah, we don't know the first thing about 'em," Goofy agreed.

"Good thing we had Pence here to help out!"

"Yeah," said Donald as the three of them walked outside.

* * *

_It's so bright. How did it feel the last time we left this place?_

Sora, Donald, and Goofy approached the gates.

"So, you think you can bring Roxas back?" a voice called to them from behind. And the voice belonged to none other than—

"Ansem!"

Ansem was leaning against one of the gate posts, watching them. A Corridor of Darkness opened next to him, and someone else stepped out.

"Xemnas!"

"Roxas should never have existed in the first place. What you seek is impossible." Xemnas was being cryptic, but there was no denying his malicious intent.

"Roxas does exist," Sora protested. "His heart's inside my heart. All I gotta do is wake him up."

"In that case, by all means," said Ansem. "Nothing would please us more than Roxas's return, of course," Xemnas continued.

"You wish. He'll never answer to you again." They could think whatever they wanted. Roxas was no longer a pawn in their little games, Sora was sure.

Unfazed, Xemnas pointed at Sora. "Still so blind. A Nobody is what's left behind when one gives his heart to darkness. His heart cannot awaken because your light is too bright. It overshadows him."

"Huh?" Sora had no idea what they were talking about.

"There is only way to bring Roxas back, which is for you to give your heart up as well. Sora, have you finally decided to call upon the darkness?" he asked.

"What?" Sora bit his lip, unable to find a reply.

_**"Hypocrite. You are the one who has made your heart a prison…"** _

_**"You again. What are you talking about?"** _

_**Just then, for the barest sliver of a second, the man's form shifted into a near perfect doppelgänger of Sora himself, wearing a black suit for battle. Sora had never even seen him before, much less met him. So why did it feel like he knew him?** _

_**"Even if you are not the prisoner."** _

_Is he right? Is it my fault that his heart's asleep? Can I not bring Ventus back without giving my heart to the darkness? It's just— There has to be some other way._

"Go on, then. The shadows are never out of reach," Ansem sneered, just as Heartless arrived on all sides of Sora.

Meanwhile, Xemnas summoned Nobodies with a slight wave of his arm. "Now, set your heart free," the two villains said in unison, taking their leave through a Corridor of Darkness.

"Wait!" Sora started to go after them, but Goofy shouted his name.

"Sora!" His two friends were surrounded by Heartless and Nobodies.

Sora stopped and got his Keyblade ready for action. "It's not darkness. Not if it helps him!" Sora charged into yet another battle, but his thoughts were racing as he swung his Keyblade.

 _The most important thing is—_ Sora took a heavy breath, dismissing the Keyblade now that the fight was over.

"Herc said… He said, 'With all my heart,'" Sora said softly. Hercules had mentioned a desire to help someone. "Okay. Then all my heart it is. I'm getting Ventus out." He turned to his friends. "Are you with me, Donald? Goofy?"

"You betcha!" the two said with a grin.

"I don't know what Ansem and Xemnas want, but I think we'd better tell the others to watch out."

The mansion was an important place now, and there was no telling what kind of trouble it could invite on the town. The three friends headed back toward the more populated area just to be safe.

* * *

"Hey! Guys!"

"Hayner! Pence! Olette!" Their three friends from Twilight Town came running up to join them.

"Oh! Right. I need to warn you guys."

"Why?" Hayner asked meekly.

"Well, those creepy-crawly things might come back for more, so stay on your toes."

"Sure, but don't we have you guys to take care of 'em for us?"

Hayner was laughing, but Olette seemed worried. "You have to leave _again_?"

"Yeah," Sora said with a nod. _We have to go—but we'll be back._ "Sorry. Just do me a favor…"

"Well, what is it? Don't make it too tough," Hayner warned him with a shrug.

"I know how Roxas feels. To be lost. But Donald and Goofy…Kairi…brought me back by wishing with all their hearts. So…I was hoping the three of you would do the same and wish for Roxas."

"What? That's it? That's no favor. We'll all wish. I'm wishin'." Hayner grinned, and Olette bobbed her head.

Pence was smiling. "Yeah! Me too."

"Thanks," Sora said with a soft smile. _That's right. If you want to wish someone back, one person isn't enough. You need everyone to want it with everything they have. I'm sure we can bring Ventus back. Positive._

* * *

Meanwhile—two shadowy figures were coldly observing Sora and his friends with hardened stares from the roof of a building overlooking the bistro: Ansem and Xemnas.

Shortly after, Xigbar emerged from a Corridor of Darkness behind them. "Aren't you making it a little too obvious?" he said.

"We were instructed to guide him," Xemnas replied.

"Yes… Just look at them," Ansem agreed, still watching the scene. "They wouldn't get far if we did not spell it out."

"Fair enough. But let's not forget how many times Sora still managed to rain on our parade." Xigbar still had his doubts; they couldn't be too careful.

Ansem's mouth twisted into a smirk. "If he wavers from the path we lay, we destroy him."

"But in that case…we'll have to find ourselves another vessel." Xigbar barked a laugh. _Another vessel…_ , he says, as if it's nothing. Just one piece of their grand, far-reaching plan.

"That is why we never have just one iron in the fire," Xemnas replied matter-of-factly.

The three of them returned to watching the smiling group down below.

* * *

Everyone was now back in the Mysterious Tower. Sora stood in front of the old wizard, hoping to report everything he learned.

"Hrm. The Key to Return Hearts," said Yen Sid, pondering everything he was told.

"Even thinks it might be important memories," Sora explained. "They have the power to awaken a heart from its sleep."

Goofy added to the recap. "Ienzo is gonna try and analyze the data Twilight Town to see if he can gain access to Roxas's memories. That way, we might be able to wake Ventus's heart up."

"All we can do now is wait." Donald looked a bit disappointed to report that they hadn't actually made any breakthroughs.

Sora presented the last bit of information to Yen Sid. "There were Heartless in Twilight Town. And Ansem and Xemnas were there, too."

Yen Sid took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "After losing you, the organization will no doubt be looking for a replacement vessel. And they will certainly be attempting to track down the New Seven Hearts as well. While we wait for Ienzo, I believe you three should travel to more worlds. We must thwart Organization XIII's plans."

"Right." But Sora sounded dispirited. "If they get their hands on another vessel, and the princesses, it's all over..."

Yen Sid raised his gaze to address Sora directly. "Sora, when you returned from Olympus, why did you insist on being the one to save Aqua?"

True, the words had just popped out automatically. But why bring that up now? "Uh... I don't really know. I just wanted to save Aqua with all my heart, the way Herc saved Meg."

"I believe those were Ventus's feelings manifesting through you. Something about that world may have triggered one of his memories."

Although Sora had no idea, Ventus had met Herc, too. He was looking forward to seeing him become a true hero, which he finally did.

 _Ventus..._ Sora closed his eyes and placed his hand over his heart. "I felt his heart stir inside of mine when I was standing in front of the old mansion."

Yen Sid was quiet for a few moments, then spoke. "Sora."

"Uh, yes?" Sora snapped to attention.

"You do not have the power of waking."

"I know..."

"But you may not need it."

Sora looked up. "What do you mean?"

"You have Ventus's heart inside of you. If it were awake, that connection may very well be able to lead you to Aqua in the great abyss."

_But I have no way of waking it yet..._

"He sees what you do, in his dreams, Sora. As you travel the worlds, something you encounter there may be the 'key' you're looking for."

"Master Yen Sid's right! Maybe something'll trigger a memory real soon and wake his heart up!"

"Like what, exactly?" Sora said in frustration. Goofy's boundless optimism wasn't really helping.

"I know!" Donald chimed in. "How about a bonk on the head?"

Sora glared at him, and Donald glared right back.

"Perhaps it could be something that is as simple as that," Yen Sid murmured.

"Wait, _you_ think so, too?"

"Whenever you are in need, magic happens. That is your greatest strength, Sora."

"You make it sound like an accident," Sora said, deflated.

Yen Sid's assessment was taking the wind out of his sails, and Donald and Goofy kept laughing at him.

"Very well, Sora. You, Donald, and Goofy will continue your travels through the worlds."

* * *

_Did Master Yen Sid tell you? Merlin has used his magic to bring us to a place where time doesn't matter. We can take as long as we need to complete our training. He's an amazing wizard. Oh, and by "us," I mean me and Lea. He's really sorry for all the trouble he caused. I told him it's fine, but he won't stop apologizing. I'll admit I was a little scared of him at first, but I've gotten to know him better. All he ever wanted was to help his friend. Honestly, it's hard not to like him._

_Every now and then, I catch him staring at me. When I ask what's wrong, he says, "I'm not sure. I think I'm forgetting something. Don't know what." Sora, I think it may have something to do with you. Your journey is all about helping people: some that you've never met before, and some like Lea that you have. They're all counting on you. It won't be easy, but I hope you'll remain the happy and cheerful Sora that I know. There's no heart your smile can't reach._

Kairi was writing a letter to Sora. She always came to the hill here to watch the sun set after she finished training for the day. Sometimes Lea joined her, and sometimes he didn't. Today, she sensed someone coming behind her, and she turned around. "What's wrong?"

Lea looked a little out of it and scratched his head. "Nothin', sorry."

"Lea… You're doing it again."

He was always saying he was sorry; by now it was almost habit. She'd told him he didn't need to so many times, but he kept doing it. The thought had crossed her mind that he was apologizing for more than just what he'd done to her as Axel in the past.

 _Sometimes—I wonder if some of those apologies aren't meant for someone else._ "Ack, sorry."

Kairi couldn't help but smile, even as he did it again.

Lea sat down on a stone a short ways away from her as she went back to writing. "A letter?" he asked.

"Yup."

"To Sora?"

"Mmm, technically yes. But I won't send it. It's more for me." A letter she didn't plan to send— This wasn't the first. She hadn't really expected him to get that other letter, either.

"Ask Merlin. He'll deliver it for you."

"Yeah, but it's okay. I just like talking to Sora, even if it's on paper."

"Okay," Lea said, observing Kairi's face the entire time.

He always did that. Lea didn't seem like the type of person to stare at others, but when they were together, he couldn't take his eyes off her for some reason. Somehow, Kairi knew he needed to—that it was part of helping him recover an important memory. 

"Oh." Lea gasped before pulling out two sticks of blue ice cream. Seasalt ice cream, to be exact. He offered one to Kairi. "Here."

"Ice cream? Really?"

"Yeah, I asked Merlin to pick these up. Ya know, we both did summon Keyblades. Gotta celebrate."

"You're sweet, Lea. Thank you."

He had gone back to staring at Kairi once she started eating her ice cream, only this time he seemed a little happier.

"What?" she asked him, puzzled.

Lea averted his eyes awkwardly. "N-nothing, I just…"

"You're trying to remember what you forgot?"

"Well, I, uh… Yeah… Yeah." Flustered, he turned back toward the sunset. 

"You know, I think I understand. I started writing letters to Sora back when I had lost all my memories of him."

This was news to Lea. He knew that Sora forgot about Kairi when he was inside Castle Oblivion. But he didn't know that Kairi had also lost her memories of him, too.

"I knew there was something important I was forgetting," she continued. "But no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't remember."

"Yeah..." Lea said sedately.

"I felt so awful about it. So one day, I wrote Sora a letter. And after I wrote it, I remembered we made an important promise. But, I still couldn't remember what it was. The next day, Roxas appeared in my dream."

"Roxas?"

She nodded. "After that dream, I remembered Sora. And the promise we made."

Lea couldn't help but think back to his own dream of Roxas. He had this dream just before he woke up as a human again.

**_"Hey, Axel. You haven't forgotten?"_ **

**_"Hmm? What?"_ **

**_"You made us a promise."_ **

**_"I did?"_ **

**_"That you'd always be there…to bring us back."_ **

**_"Yeah…"_ **

**_"Got it memorized?"_ **

**_"Best friends forever."_ **

It was a promise made between two best friends long, long ago. He had forgotten all about it. Until Roxas reminded him in his dream. 

_**"You know what? I'll bring 'em back myself."** _

_**"Huh? How exactly?"** _

_**"Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs?"** _

That remembered childhood promise was why he set off in the first place. 

_**"Axel. Please? The name's Lea. Got it memorized?"** _

_**"You're not supposed to be here!"** _

_**"Promises to keep. I'll always be there to get my friends back."** _

And it was even the reason he was able to summon his Keyblade.

"So, tomorrow—you and me in the ring. You ready?" Kairi asked, waving her stick of sea-salt ice cream around like a Keyblade.

But Lea still had his eyes on the sun. He was perhaps recalling something. Something deeply meaningful to him.

"Don't hold back, Lea. Promise?" Kairi said. She had no doubt that Lea was the better fighter between them.

There was no telling what was on his mind. There was a hint of melancholy in his voice when he answered. "'Course."

Lea spun toward her and froze, eyes wide. The sea-salt ice cream slipped from his hand, and then silent tears suddenly spilled down his cheeks.

"Huh? Are you okay? Lea!" Startled, Kairi hurried over to him. She had never seen a man older than her cry like this before. Not this hard, certainly.

"Yeah… Sorry…"

"You're crying. What's wrong?"

Lea wiped his eyes and got to his feet, the barest trace of a bashful smile on his lips. "Something in my eyes."

"Lea…"

He shrugged. "I'm…gonna go. Sorry." Then he left in an incredible hurry, clearly embarrassed.

At Kairi's feet, the fallen bar of sea-salt ice cream was resting among the four-leaf clovers at Kairi's feet.


End file.
